Hampshire Counties One rugby: New Milton let it slip as Bognor battle back
Hampshire Counties One
Bognor RFC 18
New Milton RFC 11
NEW Milton made the long haul into West Sussex to play Bognor, a team just one point below them in the league, but the hosts made a late comeback to claim the spoils.
It was a closely fought match, with Bognor finally winning by scoring a penalty and their second try in the final 10 minutes.
New Milton converted a penalty down the home stretch to take a losing bonus point.
Bognor quickly gained territory and created pressure, but after reaching New Milton’s five-metre line, strong defence and a clearance by Christian Brown led to a penalty chance for New Milton, which Tom Brown slotted home.
Although New Milton gained plenty of penalties, they struggled to get the most from them as the forwards had to work hard to retain their ball in the scrums, and the line-outs were not working well.
In the final minutes of the first half, Bognor converted a penalty before they used the kick-off well, winning the ball and passing through the backs to score a converted try and take an 8-3 lead into the break.
After the break, New Milton had to defend staunchly, but after snatching possession from a line-out, Christian Brown glided through the Bognor defence, brushing off tackle attempts.
However, the scrambling defence stopped him just short of the line, but the referee soon blew up for a scrum. The New Milton forwards secured the ball, and scrum-half Tate Thorn took responsibility, bursting over to touch down on the blind side.
Bognor won a penalty after a line-out just inside Milton’s half, which they converted successfully. Shortly after, Bognor advanced towards Milton’s 22, and despite solid defence, they managed to break through and score a converted try with the help of their backs.
In the final 10 minutes of the match, New Milton won a penalty, which they decided to convert to get at least one league point for their noble efforts.
New Milton is on the road on Saturday when they take on Eastleigh at 3pm.
New Milton: E. Hynd, H. Chung, S. Bew, J. Corbett, J. Blair, T. Wood, G. Warne, J. Jackson-Smith, T. Thorn, C. Brown, J. Eldridge, T. Brown, M. Moore, M. Doe, J. Marlow. Subs: J. Korbey.
