Sandown & Shanklin Hurricanes staged a stunning comeback at Ellingham & Ringwood before a controversial last-gasp penalty try snatched victory from their grasp.
The Hurricanes made an encouraging start to their New Forest encounter, with powerful scrummaging from Kev Blackburn, Zak Chiverton and Benji Shannon giving the visitors the upper hand.
Sandown & Shanklin spent much of the opening exchanges camped on the Ellingham 5-metre line, but stubborn defending and poor execution prevented them from turning their early dominance into points.
The contest changed following an altercation between Hurricanes captain Hugo Jolliffe and the home side’s number 8, which resulted in both players receiving yellow cards.
Ellingham made the Hurricanes pay dearly for their missed opportunities, exploiting the disruption to run in 3 unanswered tries. Within 10 minutes, the visitors found themselves 15–0 down despite having enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges.
Powerful carries from Jolliffe, Lewis Murray and Damian Seder helped the Hurricanes regain their momentum, and their persistence was rewarded when Freddie Sheath delivered a perfectly timed pass to release Tommy Scourfield for their opening try (15–5).
Half Time: Ellingham & Ringwood 15–5 Sandown & Shanklin Hurricanes
The Hurricanes emerged for the second half with renewed determination, with Rob Eston and Rob Newton making significant inroads into the home defence.
A sharp break from Tom Marriott took the visitors to within inches of the try line, allowing Jolliffe to collect the ball and power over from close range (15–10).
Sandown & Shanklin were now firmly on top, with Newton and Scourfield repeatedly driving the hosts backwards.
The pressure eventually told when the ball was moved wide to Chiverton, who shrugged off several defenders before forcing his way over the line to level the scores at 15–15.
Replacement George Shannon made an immediate impression with some crunching tackles and strong attacking contributions as the Hurricanes continued to pile on the pressure.
With Ellingham struggling to contain the visitors, Benji Shannon powered over from close range to complete an extraordinary turnaround (15–20). Having trailed by 15 points, the Hurricanes had scored 4 unanswered tries and taken the lead for the first time.
Sandown & Shanklin appeared to have the contest in their grasp, but 2 missed penalty attempts denied them the opportunity to extend their advantage.
Those missed chances proved costly as a spell of ill-discipline allowed Ellingham to regain territory.
A well-worked backs move from a lineout released the home side’s full-back, who sliced through the Hurricanes defence to cross for the equalising try (20–20).
With the scores level and time running out, both sides pushed for a winner in an increasingly tense encounter.
The Hurricanes continued to threaten, but Ellingham launched a late attack, moving the ball quickly through their backs to release the full-back down the wing.
Freddie Sheath raced across to make a desperate covering tackle, only for the referee to penalise him for a high challenge.
The official ruled that no other defender could have prevented the try and awarded Ellingham a penalty try, turning a potential draw into a heartbreaking 27–20 defeat for the Hurricanes.
Full Time: Ellingham & Ringwood 27–20 Sandown & Shanklin Hurricanes
Man of the Match: Rob Newton
