Ventnor battled hard but were beaten by the Hurricanes under the Friday night lights at Watcombe Bottom.
With new coach Damo at the helm and fresh faces added to the squad, Ventnor built on last week’s promising run-out at Romsey to deliver a spirited display full of grit, physicality and flashes of attacking flair.
The home side burst out of the blocks when fly-half Tom Scadden whipped the ball wide to Tom Branagh, who bulldozed his way through the Hurricanes’ defence before racing clear for the opening try, converted by Ed Blake. But the momentum swung immediately when Ventnor fumbled the restart, gifting the visitors possession and, after a string of penalties and pressure at the scrum, a levelling score.
Turnovers from Ian Reeves and a lineout steal from skipper Lewy Moreton helped stem the tide, while dogged breakdown work kept the visitors honest. Both sides traded blows like heavyweights in the ring, with moments of desperate last-ditch defence – none more so than debutant Hayden Lythgoe’s 30m chase to deny a certain try with a flying tackle. Some ferocious hits from newcomer Noah McKinney and returning veteran Tony Jacobson, playing his first game in more than 20 years, typified Ventnor’s spirit, but the Hurricanes’ patience eventually told as they crossed twice more.
Man-of-the-match Dan Lythgoe stood out with rock-solid defence and powerful carries, while Moreton led from the front with relentless tackling. Harvey Wheeler and Branagh produced a thunderous double hit to shut down a Hurricanes attack, drawing cheers from the home crowd, and Ventnor’s pack never took a backwards step. Yet as the match wore on, the visitors’ sharper execution and clinical finishing added further tries.
Ventnor did have a late chance when Joel Cocks thundered over the line after slick handling across the backs, only to ground the ball on the wrong line – a moment that summed up the narrow margins of the evening.
