Tottonians RFC 1XV 17-7 Ventnor RFC 1XV match report
Saturday 30 January 1993
Ventnor produced a stirring performance to only go down narrowly against their Division 1 opponents.
The Islanders had their equal of Tottonians RFC in the first half with the forwards winning good ball from ruck and maul situations.
Ventnor RFC 1XV deservedly took the lead after 15 minutes when the Tottonians outside centre, in attempting to set up an attack, kicked the ball straight at Ventnor wing Warren Fresle, who took full advantage of the opportunity to run in unopposed from halfway and score under the posts. Martin converted.
Tottonians reduced the deficit with a well struck penalty, but at half-time the score remained 7-3 and upset was on the cards.
The home side played with a greater sense of urgency in the second half.
Ventnor continued to defend well with some good tackling from the three-quarters and excellent handling from full-back Dave Martin, who was put under a lot of pressure with the Tottonian high ball tactic.
Eventually, Tottonian’s territory advantage began to tell and a successfully converted penalty was followed by a well executed drop goal that gave them the lead on the hour.
Ventnor could find no reply as the home side secured victory with a push over try from a five-yard scrum.
From the archives: republished online December 2023
Transcribed from report by Andrew, Gamson Gray Design and Media