Nolan shares this latest report from Samuel Dawson on behalf of Ventnor RFC. Ed
Alresford 1st XV 57-10 Ventnor 1st XV
Ventnor were scheduled to travel to Alresford last weekend in pursuit of the ever elusive first win of season. Due to various commitments it was to be a bare 15 that travelled to play, but with the ever welcomed support of a number of club VPs.
Led out by Captain, Jake Babington, Ventnor started aggressively from the kick-off with some strong carries led by Price and Morley. With many players playing out of their normal position it didn’t take too long for Alresford to cross the line and touch down.
This failed to dampen the spirit of Ventnor as they continued to play with the belief that they could come out on top. This situation became a common theme and Alresford scored again.
Determined play
With plenty of determination and no small amount of hard work, Ventnor stuck to their game plan, retained possession and with some more strong forward work by the pack they found themselves with a series of penalties close to points territory.
After a few tap and go penalties, Babington had realized the crash balls were being defended well and dummied a pass giving himself just enough space to squeeze his slight frame between two defenders to score his first try of the day just before the end of the first half.
Some strong defensive work
This encouraged Ventnor into the second half. Refusing to accept that this game was lost, Ventnor started the second half with the same belief as the first. Unfortunately Alresford had the same belief and they were able to capitalize on some forward momentum and score again.
A long shift of some strong defensive work was to follow. This was rewarded by the skipper’s second try of the day, as he chased a loose ball down the touch line before scurrying over the line right in the corner.
Positives to take from game
The match would end with another loss for Ventnor, but there were many positives to take from the game as many of the Elders of the Alresford clan offered their congratulations on a well-fought game, which showed a real positive attitude towards rugby and never once showing any signs of giving up.
AJ Wells & Sons Man of the Match: Ben Atkins
Ventnor Haven Fishery Cod eye of the Day: Ben Savill
Squad: Babington, Savill, Pratt, Price, Jones, Morley, Green, Edwards, Franklin, Dawson, Atkins, Blow, Teague, Clarke, Richardson
Image: sjbresnahan under CC BY 2.0
