A shorthanded Fordingbridge travelled to Ventnor for the last 2nd XV league game of the season for a Hampshire Counties 5 fixture at Watcombe Bottom on Saturday (4th March).
Fordingbridge required the services of Isle of Wight RFC and the Ventnor 2nd XV bench to help muster a squad. Ventnor’s usual captain James Blake offered to swap sides to help make a game of it and took with him chairman Edward Blake, the 2nd XV manager Neil Evans, new prospect Callum Martin and veteran Ben Gough.
Jack Rushton was this given the honour of captaincy and didn’t want to disappoint. If you like a game filled with fast-paced tries from the back and crunching hits from the forward pack, this was the game to watch with seventeen tries in total
Father and son flankers, Dean and Charlie Magnurson, both came away with tries but dad took the bragging rights as he had two tries to Charlie’s one. The front row put in the hard work, with Gary Ball stamping his usual enforcer style across the pitch with crunching tackles while his fellow front row Bradley Francis showed real promise in his new position as hooker.
Nathan Frampton and Bob Parker both scored their first tries for the club, Bob running through two defenders and half the length of the pitch which meant he deservedly claimed the A J Wells man of the match honours.
Ross Harris and Oscar Fitzgerald were Ventnor’s dynamic 9 and 10 duo, and between them they set the pace and dominated the gameplay. Ross secured 5 tries for the team, with Oscar scoring 1 as well as converting 8 of the 13 tries.
With great support from James Green inside them, wingers Harry Otley and Joel Walton used their blistering pace to run in a try-a-piece. This was particularly special for Joel, as this was to be his last game for the club.
Kyle Draper came off the bench at halftime to inject some more pace onto the wing and was particularly unlucky not to come away with a try for his efforts.
James Morley was welcomed back into the 2nd row after a period away from the club and demonstrated that he hasn’t lost any of his magic, putting in some crunching tackles and rapid runs which led to a try of his own.
Corey Turner, returning from injury, was the last line of defence at fullback and putting in a real shift producing several try-saving tackles.
Full time: Ventnor 2nd XV 79 – 22 Fordingbridge 2nd XV
Ventnor 2nd XV: Rushton (capt), Francis, Ball, Morley, Parker, D.Magnurson, C.Magnurson, Harris, Fitzgerald, Ottley, Green, Walton, Turner. Subs: Draper, Frampton Coaches: Jason Evans, Fergus Kenny, Clive Cardwell-Hill
The A J Wells Man of the match: Bob Parker
The Red Funnel Moment of the Match: Jack Rushton
Ventnor players who turned out for Fordingbridge: J.Blake, Evans, B.Gough, Martin, E.Blake
Report written with kind assistance of Jack Rushton
