Ed shares this great match report from Ventnor RFC. Ed
Ventnor First XV 62 – 0 Trojans Second XV
Ventnor broke down a resilient Trojans’ defence in a ten try win over their mainland opponents.
The game started with an even feel, with both teams looking to move the ball about in the windy and some times rainy conditions.
Eventually, 15 minutes in to the game, the home side broke the deadlock with the returning Paul Berry taking a quick tap penalty and eventually offloading to Ed Blake for his and the games first score.
Second and third tries
Ventnor then looked to build the next score and after multiple phases Lewis Jones picked at the back of a ruck to crash over for the second try of the game. The home side were looking increasingly comfortable as the half progressed, but were unlucky to have a couple of try attempts deemed as being held up.
Full back Justinas Urbonas wasn’t to be stopped though as he bundled over for his third try of the season and the game’s third.
Playing with the wind
The second half and the change of ends meant Ventnor were now playing with the wind.
Tries quickly started coming thick and fast with captain Jake Babington grabbing a brace within a couple of minutes. Ed Blake added two more tries to complete his hat trick.
Two returners
The game saw a return to the side of Sam Lines who has recovered from an injury back in October. He celebrated his return with a breakaway try.
After five years away from the club, Ben Cooper scored on his comeback game, describing his return as “like riding a bike”.
Worthy mentions
Finally, after harassing the Trojans’ defence all day, scrum half, Paul Berry, crashed over to get his name on the score board.
Todd Riches had a decent day from the boot in the tricky conditions, electing a few times to drop kicking the conversions.
Derby Day
All round a decent day for Ventnor who now turn their attention to preparing for the Derby Day versus Isle of Wight, where Ventnor look to complete the double against their local rivals.
AJ Wells Man of the Match – Ed Blake
Red Funnel Moment of the Match – Sam Dawson
Team – Dawson, Jones, Pratt, Teague, Savill, Griggs, Edwards, Colson, Berry, Riches, Blake, Dawes, Babington, Fox, Urbonas, Cooper, Lines, Keyes.
Sponsors
Ventnor RFC would like to thank the following for sponsoring the match: The Muncasters, The Ale and Oyster, CP Bathrooms, The Leconfield.
Image: tabor-roeder under CC BY 2.0
