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33 Ventnor 1st XV v IWRFC 1st XV 10
What a game & what a result. Ventnor looked a different side from last year & on paper you would have thought maybe a few players light, but this side are as one a team, & play like one. They support & encourage each other & from Coach, team Manager, Captain through to replacements are a unit, that bodes well for the forthcoming season.
I can only go form blurred Saturday memory, but here is how I saw it!
Ventnor were under some pressure to start with, but this team know how to defend, & they did so admirably & kept Wootton at bay. As Ventnor gained in confidence they began to move up the field, & after some good play Mark Turner used his pace & strong running to score a try, Damo converted. This is just what Ventnor needed & now were playing with more confidence & the forced passing was going & a more fluid way of paying was coming. Line outs were being won, Ryan White could be an answer this season, & the ball was being moved through the backs. A couple of breaks really could be converted into tries, but when the side were playing like this you knew there were more tries to come. Ferg cut through with the next try, again a good flowing move & some individual brilliance. Again Damo converted. Ventnor were buzzing, & a large crowd, were all astounded at the way we were playing. The next try was straight from the training pitch as the forwards & backs linked, & good hands saw the ball come out to the wing, where Rosco had popped up & he went over in the corner. This was uncharted territory for Ventnor, 3 tries up with no reply! Wootton did manage a score. & so we were 19 to 5 up in the first half.
The second half Wootton seemed to offer a little more, but still Ventnor pushed. Paul Berry should have been awarded a penalty try, but it was not to be. Ventnor did score again through Mark Turner after Toddy had bludgeoned his way through - again Damo converted. Paul Berry got his reward with an excellent run to score Ventnor’s 5th try & again Damo converted making it 4 out of 6 kicks (missing an early 1st half penalty). Wootton replied late on with a try & the game ended with an emphatic win.
A really good performance from our new young side. Everyone afterwards was singing the teams praises & I think there will be a good following away at Chineham next week. Dave Ball will be continuing the hard work with the team at training & it was clear that the work done pre season in training really is paying off. Now the lads need to show this form wasn’t a one off & they can transfer this to their league campaign, starting on Saturday v Chineham.
Team: Damo, Rosco, Tommy Wells, Tim, Ryan, Ferg (Capt), Adam Adkins, Trist, Scott, AP, Jim, Rob Jackson, Mark, Paul, Todd – Replacements: Gary Freeston & Gary Ball.