Ventnor RFC 1XV 21-36 Overton RFC Sat 3 December 2022 Match Report

By GH

Ventnor RFC 1XV 21-36 Overton RFC Sat 3 December 2022 Match Report

The good-sized crowd at Watcombe Bottom, for the Counties 3 Hampshire league game against Overton RFC, witnessed Ventnor’s enduring habit of demonstrating their ability to play sparkling rugby only for them to negate all their good work with unforced errors or ill-discipline. Indeed, the two tries scored by the home team in the first half were as good as they come.

For the first, Ventnor made strong progress up the middle through Adam Pratt, Joel Walton, Harry Colson and their indomitable skipper Lewis Jones.

A quick ruck was formed, Chris Cardwell-Hill fed Fergus Kenny and the flyhalf’s astute diagonal grubber kick was touched down by Dan Greaves in the corner to help the fullback celebrate his birthday. For the second, a fine mix of forwards and backs took the ball away from the point of contact and sweet passing from George Collett and Joe Coghlan put Sam Lines over. Both tries were converted by Cardwell-Hill.

The problem was that Overton scored three, the first two through attacking positions solely gained by Ventnor’s disastrous penalty count and the third through Ventnor’s inability to look after the ball in attack that led to a breakaway try to the Overton right winger from his own try-line.

The halftime score was thus 14 – 19.

Ventnor RFC 1XV 21-36 Overton RFC Sat 3 December 2022 Match Report
Ventnor RFC 1XV 21-36 Overton RFC Sat 3 December 2022 Match Report

The second half served up more of the same. The powerful running of Dan Bell, George Finan and Ed Blake plus the support play of Andy Teague often put Ventnor in the right place of the field but the inability to string phases together led to the ball being lost and Overton were happy to live on these scraps and turn them into points.

Indeed the visitors scored three tries in this period to secure the game and it was only in the dying embers of the game that Jones once more made ground, Blake chipped ahead and the tireless Bell crashed over for a try that Kenny converted.

Final score 21 – 36.

A J Wells Man of the Match: Zoe Jones
Red Funnel Moment of the Match: Dan Greaves

Team: Collett, Jones (capt), Pratt, Teague, Walton, Colson, Coghlan, Bell, Cardwell-Hill, Kenny, Finan, Entwistle, Lines, E.Blake, Greaves.  Subs: Price, Soutter, Fox

Coaches: Jason Evans, Fergus Kenny and Clive Cardwell-Hill

Physio: Zoe Jones

Match Report: James Morton

Ventnor RFC would like to thank our match sponsors for the day, namely: A J Wells and Sons, Fergus Kenny, Abacus Express Logistics, CP Bathrooms, Rog Evans, Mike Toomey, Wight Water and Ron Gisborn.

Results Counties 5 Hampshire South West Millbrook 2nd XV HWO Ventnor 2nd XV Sat 2 December 2022
Results Counties 5 Hampshire South West Millbrook 2nd XV HWO Ventnor 2nd XV Sat 2 December 2022

Ventnor RFC 2XV‘s scheduled away Counties 5 Hampshire South West league game, of Saturday 2 December 2022, to Millbrook RFC 2XV was an HWO.

Ventnor RFC 1XV‘s next fixture is scheduled on Saturday 10 December 2022 away to Portsmouth RFC 2XV in the Counties 3 Hampshire league 2022-23 game.

Whilst Ventnor RFC 2XV’s next Counties 5 Hampshire South West league fixture is scheduled to be an away game on Sat 10 December 2022 against New Milton RFC 2XV

For more information, please contact JAMES MORTON, Hon Club Secretary, Ventnor RFC

T: 07901 938 317

The fixtures are correct as of the date of the time of publication and are given in good faith. E & OE. All fixtures are subject to change or cancellation at short notice.