Ventnor turned on the style against Southsea Nomads last weekend (2nd March). Mike Walker set the tone for the match right from the kick off, bouncing opposition players off as he charged towards the Nomads try line. Ventnor then proceeded to attack at every opportunity.
Ross Harris made several fine runs before he finally broke free to score Ventnor’s first try after 10 minutes. At this point Ventnor had all the possession and also the territorial advantage, but a dazzling run from the Nomads fly half saw Ventnor’s early lead cancelled out. Ventnor didn’t let this setback distract them and went straight back on the attack.
With Fergus Kenny controlling the game with his clever distribution and Morely and the rest of the forwards leading the charge, it was only a matter of time before Ventnor took the lead though the impressive Rickets. Two more tries followed in quick succession from Riches and Dobas to give Ventnor a deserved first half lead.
The second half was pretty much one way traffic, with the inventive Ventnor back line running Nomads ragged. Four more tries were scored by Penner, Riches, Lines and Morely. This was Ventnor at their very best against a strong Nomads team, with the whole team performing to a very high standard.
The Wightlink man of the match went to young Ed Clarke, with the AJ Wells Black Dog award going to Captain Danny Newbery. The team face Stoneham on Saturday 9th March at Watcombe Bottom, 3pm KO.
Team: Newbery, Jesney, Walker, Morely, Ricketts, Penner, Riches, Jones, R Cooper, Kenny, Dobas, Lines, Harris, Engelgardt, Bolton, Pratt, Blake and Clarke.