Ventnor 2nds had a comprehensive win on the road in Hampshire County 5 at Christchurch on Saturday (21st October).
Ventnor 2nds took the game to the opposition from the off. Strong work by the forward back spearheaded by Gary Ball, skipper Jack Rushton and Bradley Francis set up a position for fly-half Max Wheeler to slot an early penalty, but Christchurch hit back with a try despite some great defence by the uncompromising James Pemberton and Will Broomfield.
Ventnor came back strongly, with Wheeler setting up Dean Magnurson who was revelling in the perfect conditions for his subterranean game. Christchurch were able to clear ,but the momentum turned when Broomfield chased a long kick and put in a simply seismic hit on the home team’s catcher. From the resulting set-piece, Ventnor worked the ball through the hands down the short side and Harry Ottley, Dan Muir and Broomfield put the ageless Rosco Harris in for a try.
Harris then doubled his tally when Ottley and Callum Martin chased a kick from Wheeler and from the subsequent scrum, Broomfield’s break and pass set up the scrumhalf to jink over. The powerful Bob Parker had to leave the field with a leg injury, so Jimmy Excell came on to make his debut for Ventnor and immediately stamped his identity on the game with some crunching tackles and forceful drives. With the support provided by James Blake and James Green, the visitor’s pack was in the ascendancy and halftime was reached with the score at 5 – 13 in favour of Ventnor.
Half time: Christchurch 2nds 5-13 Ventnor 2nds
Rushton was mixing up his squad with Tristan Price, Nathan Frampton and Olly Wood taking the field but there was no let-up in Ventnor’s authority, work ethic and fellowship and a great tackle by Wood forced a loose ball which Draper demonstrated remarkable footballing skills to kick ahead and touch down. Wheeler then chased his own kick to score before Frampton was but in by Ewan Castle after another charge by Broomfield who will feature in many a Christchurch player’s nightmares for some time to come. Final score 5 – 35
This result plus the try bonus point maintains Ventnor’s position at the head of the Hampshire Counties 5 South league with their next game due against Eastleigh 3rds on 11th November.
Full time: Christchurch 2nds 5-35 Ventnor 2nds
Ventnor: Rushton (capt), Francis, Ball, Green, J.Blake, D.Magnurson, Parker, Broomfield, Harris, M.Wheeler, Ottley, Pemberton, Draper, Martin, Castle. Subs: Price, Frampton, Excell, Wood, Muir. Coaches: Jason Evans, Clive Cardwell-Hill Physio: Sarah Watt
The A J Wells Man of the Match: Dean Magnurson
The Red Funnel Moment of the Match: Harry Ottle
Ventnor 1sts had another disappointing day, losing to Christchurch in Hampshire Counties 3 by over a 50-point margin.
Ventnor started well and put pressure on Christchurch’s line with another powerful performance from skipper Lewis Jones and a set piece which stamped their identity on the game. George Collett and Ben Savill stood tall with great support from Jason Coltham and Andy Teague, but Christchurch had a kicking game ideally suited to their short pitch, which turned the game in their favour despite some great defence from the returning Dan Greaves.
Against the run of play, the home team scored after 20 minutes with a try down the short side after a lineout and – having established their kicking tactic – kept Ventnor on the back foot that only some remarkable defence by Ben Souter was able to resist. Defending from another lineout, Ventnor’s standout player Lewy Morton took a bang to the head but the referee allowed the game to carry on and Christchurch scored again. Morton came off and Ventnor lost Ben Cooper – their defence ringmaster – at the same time with a knee injury so Will Harrison and Harry Ottley came on – the latter after a strong performance in the 2nd XV game only half an hour before!
Fergus Kenny rolled back the clock with a powerful burst that went through three defenders, but it was the big Christchurch forwards who were on the ascendancy, and the tries began to mount up with only the determination of Jones, Joe Coghlan, Ed Blake and the remarkable Collett holding back the stampede.
The game became more difficult for Ventnor when Guy Entwistle was harshly red-carded for a minor altercation. A Christchurch player was dismissed at the same time. With both centres now off the pitch, Ventnor’s midfield defence was entirely compromised, and it became one-way traffic until the end culminating in 2 more kick and chase tries,both involving knock-ons which distorted the scoreline to a very harsh 52-0
Full time: Christchurch 52-0 Ventnor
Ventnor: Collett, Jones (capt), Savill, Teague, Coltham, Coghlan, L.Morton, Richardson, Souter, Kenny, Turner, Cooper, Entwistle, E.Blake, Greaves Subs: Pratt, Harrison and Ottley Coaches: Jason Evans and Clive Cardwell-Hill Physio: Sarah Watt
The A J Wells Man of the Match: Harry Ottley
The Red Funnel Moment of the Match: Guy Entwistle
