Match report Andover Rugby Club 2XV v Ventnor Rugby Club 1XV 22 March 2025
Counties 3 Hampshire
In their penultimate league game of the 2024-25 season, Ventnor 1sts were away to Andover RFC in a tough assignment against the league leaders.
On the Thursday evening before the match, Ventnor could only muster thirteen players so took the option of offering Andover a friendly match. Within the current Hampshire RFU rules, this meant that Ventnor forfeited the points but did not have penalty league points deducted.
However, by Saturday morning, several players had managed to adjust their work schedules to be able to play and Ventnor eventually travelled with a squad of sixteen. Unfortunately it was too late to revert to it being a true league fixture and the game remained a friendly.
Andover 2nds are runaway leaders of Hampshire Counties League Three with a one hundred percent winning record so there was little hope of Ventnor pulling off any sort of an upset especially with several of the team playing out of position and travelling with just one substitute. However, the performance that they put together was little short of astonishing.
Andover scored early following a tap penalty and a drive by their forwards but it was Ventnor who then turned on the style with a great showing from Louis Wyatt – playing in the unfamiliar role at flyhalf – who kicked for territory and set up an attacking position on the home team’s tryline.
Dan Lythgoe, Iain Reeves and skipper Ben Savill kept up the pressure so that Lewy Morton was able to burrow over for a try that Ed Blake converted. Despite the size of the opposing pack, Ventnor never budged an inch at scrumtime where Lythgoe, Henrik Brown and George Collett demonstrated that technique is more important than mere weight. Brown in particular belied his inexperience with an all-court game from which he emerged with great credit.
Andover were lucky to score next in that there was a blatant knock-on in the build-up, but Ventnor were back on the front foot when Alec Bulpitt and Harvey Wheeler combined well up the righthand side and Ben Souter was denied a try with a toe in touch.
However, from the resulting lineout, pressure on the jumpers lead to an Andover overthrow which Jason Coltham caught and bravely dived over for a try. Blake once more converted and Ventnor were back in the lead. Coltham took a knee to the head in the act of scoring so had to come off and Sean Frampton came on for a 1st team debut, taking up position on the wing while Ewan Castle came into the second row.
Ventnor continued to probe and their energy was beginning to tell on the Andover pack. Lewis Jones was showing his usual accuracy in throwing into the lineout and a position was set up by Collett and Reeves from which the ball went quickly down the line. Jack Gilbey then ran a dummy line which opened up space for Blake to weave his way for a try which he then converted to take the lead out to 12 – 21.
Andover rallied and scored two tries, the first after a peel from a lineout maul and the second when a vicious bounce of a kick ahead illuded the covering Wyatt and Souter and the scrumhalf gratefully scampered in for a converted try leaving the score at half-time at 26 – 21.
The home side then scored early in the second half, again when the bounce of the ball – from a pitch which varied between either rock-hard or a sandpit – got away from Ventnor’s cover and was touched down by the Andover winger. Ventnor were further hampered when Wheeler (who was having an excellent game at outside centre) took a blow to the head and had to come off. Ventnor were now down to fourteen which could have got worse when Castle was hurt after an early opposition push at a set scrum.
However, he brushed himself off and was soon back into the heart of the action. Andover were able to use the advantage of their superiority in numbers to score again to take the score out to 40 – 21 before they sportingly evened up the numbers as befitted the spirit of the game.
Image: James Morton
Ventnor’s fitness was beginning to count and, after more good work by Bulpitt and Frampton down the left, Blake was able to use his power and balance to thread a mazy run through a wavering opposition defence to score the try of the game. His attempted conversion rebounded off the bar. Ventnor then paid the price of their ambition to keep playing with a late try to Andover which brought the final score to 45 – 26.
Image: James Morton
After the match Ben Savill and coach Clive Cardwell-Hill were full of praise for their team’s efforts – a sentiment matched by the opposition and their spectators.
Ventnor 1XV Team: Team: Collett, Brown, Lythgoe, Coltham, I.Reeves, Jones, L.Morton, Savill (capt), Souter, Wyatt, Gilbey, Bulpitt, H.Wheeler, Castle, E.Blake.
Sub: S.Frampton
Ventnor RFC 1XV Match Awards 22nd March 2025
The AJ Wells Man of the Match: Ben Souter
The Red Funnel Moment of the Match: Jason Coltham
The Howden Insurance Supporter of the Day: Mark Cufflin (aka Bob) and Sam Anderson
Coaches: Clive Cardwell-Hill, Todd Riches and Dean Magnurson
Linesman: Alan Fox
Match Report by James Morton
There is no match next weekend so Ventnor 1st XV end this season’s campaign at Aldershot & Fleet on 5th April
Ventnor RFC Summer Ball and Awards 2024-25
Composite image courtesy: Andrew Cooper Photography
Don’t forget to get your tickets for the Ventnor RFC Summer Ball and Awards Night 2024-25 on Saturday 7th June.
Get your tickets
Click on this link for the menu and the what you can look forward to on the night. Tickets are £45 per person.
Vote for your Ventnor Rugby Club Supporters’ Player of the Year 2024-25
Image courtesy: Isle of Wight Rugby Photographer Andrew Cooper Photography
With the end of the season approaching and the Ventnor Rugby Club Summer Ball and Awards Evening 2024-25 on the horizon, now is the time for regular spectators, please start thinking about the player who you would nominate and vote for your Supporters’ Player of the Year.
VRFC supporters please vote for your player of the year. He can be from the 1st or 2nd XV.
The Supporters’ Player of the Year 2024-25 Award will be presented to the player at the Ventnor RFC Summer Ball & Awards Evening, on Saturday 7th June 2025
Let me know who your vote goes to (please only ONE vote per person/supporter (additional votes from the same individual will be disregarded):
Contact me direct or Vote for your Ventnor Rugby Club Supporters’ Player of the Year 2024-25 here
Best Regards
James
JAMES MORTON
Honorary Secretary, Ventnor RFC
Related links:
Ventnor Rugby Club, Watcombe Bottom Sports Centre, Watcombe Bottom, Whitwell Road, Ventnor, Isle of Wight, PO38 1LP – view on Google Maps
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All fixtures are subject to change or cancellation at short notice.