Shelford, who secured a try scoring bonus point with ease, condemned Barnes to a comprehensive 33-15 defeat at Barn Elms on Saturday.

The visitors win was their seventh in their last eight games, but the home side, although well beaten could breath a huge sigh of relief after the game as results going in their favour elsewhere meant that Brett Taylor’s men were still just six points adrift of safety.

The Cambridgeshire side hit the front after nine minutes when Peniasi Seru broke an attempted tackle and dived over the line.

On the twenty minute mark, Shelford doubled their lead when they kicked a penalty to the corner, secured the line-out, and powerful number eight Aki Lea bulldozed the Barnes defence out of the way to make it 10-0.

Harry Owens’ conversion attempt was good.

Two minutes later, the Green & Golds finally got on the board thanks to Josh Coles’ penalty.

With no further scoring, Shelford went in at the break leading 12-3.

The match was as good as over within eight minutes of the re-start, as Shelford winger Taniela Bakoso scored two tries in quick succession.

His first was right in the corner, which Owens quite brilliantly converted.

Just five minutes later, he went between the posts with ease, and Owens’ kick extended the Peacocks’ lead to 26-3.

Barnes rallied and hit back with two tries of their own when Ed Alteirac plunged over from a maul, and Huw Bevan went on a superb sixty metre run before touching down, and Coles converted.

Shelford had the final say, and scored their fifth try of the afternoon when centre Peceli Nacamauvuto intercepted a loose pass to score with ease.