Match report: Ellingham & Ringwood RFC avoid banana skin to leave themselves on the brink of Hampshire Counties One promotion with 41-6 win over Bognor RFC

Ellingham & Ringwood picked up a vital victory in their bid to gain promotion as the second-placed side with a comfortable win over Bognor on Saturday.

The match was a potential banana skin for Ellingham, with Bognor defeating the hosts’ closest rivals for the second spot, Gosport & Fareham, last weekend. However, the hosts delivered one of their best displays of the season.

The opening exchanges of the game were fast and brutal, but it would be Ellingham who got themselves on the scoreboard first. Following an infringement by Bognor, winger Chris Frost stepped up and slotted the kick for an early three-point lead in the fifth minute.

Bognor did not deter from their flowing attack rugby. In the 13th minute, they were awarded a penalty after several infringements – the last of which earned Frost a yellow card for a high tackle – which was kicked to level the scores.

The Ellingham forwards then enjoyed a period of sustained pressure, with scrum-half and captain Sammy Veneroso seeing the chance to dart and snipe his way through the defence to score the first try of the game. Frost kicked the conversion successfully, adding the extra two points.

Bognor narrowed the scores with another penalty in the 30th minute, but that would be the last score of the game for Bognor despite their best efforts.

In the 34th minute, number eight George Randall, who, like many Ellingham players, had a fine game, powered his way over to extend the home team’s lead, with Frost again adding the two points to make it 17-6 at the break.

Ellingham & Ringwood came out of the blocks in the first half, with replacement Daniel Jackson jigging and muscling his way over in the 40th minute to score a try that was converted.

Then, in the 44th minute, Frost got a try in the far left-hand corner of the Specsavers end of the ground in front of a delighted home crowd following some swift handling from full-back Chris Jeffes, giving the home team their try bonus point.

Leading from the front yet again, which has been a familiar but welcomed pattern throughout this season, Sammy Veneroso once again found a gap in Bognor’s defence, exploiting it perfectly to score the home team’s fifth try. Frost was having a good game with his place kicks and duly slotted over for another two points.

The game was hotly contested throughout, with some big tackles from both sides. Surprisingly the last score of the game came in the 58th minute, with hooker Pat Fraser using his power to force his way over the line to score the last points of the game.

Ellingham & Ringwood has a week’s break before a potential promotion decider against third-placed Gosport & Fareham away from home next Saturday. Their final match of the season will see Ellingham host Sandown & Shanklin on the 5th of April.

Ellingham & Ringwood: A. Payne, P. Fraser, T. Sampson, M. Treloar, C. Scott, D. Smith, J. Bovett, G. Randall, S. Veneroso, T. Veneroso, H. Leigh-Watts, T. Grant, A. Higgins, C. Hamerston, C. Frost, C. Jeffes. Subs: T. Johnson, B. Evans, D. Mallard.