Thanks to Nolan for this first report of 2015 from the Ventnor RFC. Ed
IWRFC 2nds 17 – 24 Ventnor Squad
This friendly fixture gave two Island based teams a chance to shed some Christmas weight before the leagues resume next week.
IW 1st team had a cup game against Fareham Heathens and Ventnor 1st team were given a week off in order for a fully fit side to play Fawley next week at home, so this was a great chance for other players to show what they are made of.
Due to the nature of the friendly, there was a high turnout of Ventnor players. Some of them hadn’t played since the two sides last met in 2013. To accomodate this the game was broken up into 20 minute quarters with two separate teams taking turns to play against the IW.
The first quater saw IW take the lead quite soon after some quick thinking saw Ventnor wrong-footed. However this was out done by a Ryan Cooper break away try to make the first quarter end 5-7 to the visitors.
The second quarter saw different styles of play being brought on to the pitch, however the score remained 5-7 at half time.
Reshuffle of IW team due to injury
The restart from IW brought them some points two tries in quick succession took the score to 17 -7. Ventnor, in the form of Dean Magnursson, busted through the defensive line after a scrum to make the score 17-12. At this point the game started to take its toll on players bodies, Nick Puckett was forced off with a leg injury and there was also a reshuffle in the IW pack.
The fourth quarter was a like a game in fast forward, with both teams having lots of the ball. A loose ball was kicked forward by Jake Babington which he then dribbled over the try line and touched down to level the scores.
Damien Marriott, returning from injury, made the conversion to edge Ventnor into the lead with just four minutes to go. Both teams had the chance to steal the game now so play become very serious indeed. Big hits and hard tackles became frequent as both teams smelt victory. Unfortunately for IW their luck had truly ran out when Rob Simpson came through a ruck unopposed and sprinted down the line to seal the win in added time.
Credit where it is due, IW put up a very good fight against an ever refreshing side but a stronger Ventnor performance prevailed. Both teams played the game in largely good spirits particularly as conditions were not good.
Image: sjbresnahan under CC BY 2.0
