The Isle of Wight were defeated in their final home league game of the season by Heathens in a close contest.
Resplendent in their new kit and watched by a large crowd in the spring sunshine, the Islanders played well in the first half but lost impetus as the match went on, with injuries also interrupting their momentum.
The Isle of Wight have not been renowned for starting well in home games this season, but the opening seconds were particularly disastrous on this occasion, as the home side looked to clear from the kickoff but were charged down, the gleeful Heathens player regathering for a converted try inside 30 seconds.
To their credit, the Islanders put this behind them quickly. They built a strong spell of possession before the experienced Ian Puzey burrowed over from close range, levelling the scores.
Confidence started to build and the Isle of Wight were next to score: strong scrummaging provided the foundation and a break by centre David Blackman was supported by his brother Luke for a fine try. George Huish converted both scores and the home side led 14-7 at this juncture.
The tries continued to flow as Heathens hit back, spinning the ball wide and exposing a narrow home defence. However, the Islanders were showing great ambition, running the ball even from deep in their own half. This gave them field position and the Fareham defence was tested close to their own line, with the front row of Ricky Keyes, Martin Newnham and Puzey each being rebuffed before Huish jinked wide to touch down. He added the conversion and a penalty goal, but departed injured on the half-hour mark. With Sam Tregelles also unable to continue, this led to considerable reshuffling, though Cameron Brown crafted a mazy run which was snuffed out just short of the line.
It was the visitors who had the last word with a try shortly before half-time, narrowing the Isle of Wight’s half-time lead to 2 points.
Scoring dried up in the 2nd half, and the Islanders were forced on the defensive as Heathens pressed. The returning Ed Lynch and Biffa man-of-the-match Prince Mutsinze on debut were instrumental with some impressive tackles, but Fareham took the lead with a well crafted cross-kick finished by their winger.
Now leading 27-24, the mainlanders looked to turn the screw but were frustrated by some key turnovers effected by Boojum & Snark man-of-the-match Sam McQueen, who was unlucky to have a try disallowed as IW broke out.
Errors crept in as time ebbed away, and the home side chased the game, handling errors ceding territory to Heathens. The victors finished on the attack and scored a converted try towards the end, taking the losing bonus points away from the Islanders.They travel to Petersfield II on Saturday.
Full time: Isle of Wight 24-34 Fareham Heathens
Isle of Wight: Ward, Jones-Evans, D Blackman, McQueen, Browne, Huish, Rolfe, Puzey, Newnham, Keyes, Pudney, Mutsinze, Lynch, Tregelles, L Blackman (c) Replacements: B Martin, Webster, Joyce
The Isle of Wight travel to Petersfield II on Saturday.
ISLE OF WIGHT RESERVES BESTED BY SOUTHAMPTON 2NDS
In their first match for just over a year, Isle of Wight seconds played a competitive and entertaining match-up against Southampton, which ended in a narrow defeat for the hosts.
The visitors were short-handed but had the assistance of some Fareham Heathens players, and the home side loaned them 2 players throughout to ensure an evenly contested fixture.
In glorious sunshine, the Islanders started on the front foot, and Ravenprint man-of-the-match Nick Blyth exploited a gap down the blind-side to scoot over for a try.
Southampton fought back with 2 tries of their own, but James Webster got the Island’s second after an offload by the experienced Colin Stretch. The home side’s defence was a little disjointed at times, and Southampton scored twice more before half-time to lead 22-10.
The 2nd half was scoreless for some time, but IW began to get on top as time went on, with Biffa man of the match Ross Edmunds increasingly influential. Handling errors at unfortunate moments and determined away defence kept IW from adding to their tally.
Southampton scored next, against the run of play, but the last 15 minutes were almost all in favour of the hosts. Dan Bishop finished off a spell of attacking pressure by crashing over, and then repeated the dose within a couple of minutes to make the score 27-20 to Southampton.
With the Islanders’ tails up, the energetic Karl Davey burst down the wing for a memorable score from well inside his own half. Edmunds added the conversion, and the scores were now remarkably level.
The Isle of Wight had a couple of minutes to find a winning score but were unable to clear their lines, and it was Southampton who finished on the attack. The winning score was controversial as the ball was grounded short and then the player in possession was shunted over the line by his support. However, IW took the decision in good grace, as it had been a thoroughly enjoyable, sporting and well refereed match.
Full time: Isle of Wight II 27-34 Southampton II
Isle of Wight: Tombleson, Wynyard-Wright, Webster, Scandrett, Blyth, Willetts, Thorne, Davey, D Bishop, Jones, J Bishop, Stretch, Groves (c), Langdon, Edmunds.
