Match report: Ellingham & Ringwood beat promotion rivals Eastleigh 48-16

Ellingham & Ringwood dented promotion-chasing Eastleigh’s hopes to delight the Raymond Brown Memorial Ground crowd on Saturday.

The victory leaves Ellingham & Ringwood four points ahead of their latest victims, sitting in fourth place, but one and two points off third and second, respectively.

Attacking the Specsavers end of the ground in front of a large crowd, the home team took the lead after just two minutes when fly-half Tom Veneroso slotted over a penalty to give Ellingham an early lead.

Eastleigh fought back to level after five minutes, but Ellingham stepped up the pressure and scored a spectacular try, finished off by prop Tom Sampson under the posts. Ellingham moved up the pitch in several well-worked phases, moving back and forth across the pitch, linking the dynamic backs with the power of the forwards that gave Sampson the space to crash over. Tom Veneroso slotted over the conversion to extend the lead.

Ill discipline from the home team allowed Phil Baldwin to peg the score back when he slotted over another penalty for the visitors.

Then, in the 23rd minute, Hugo Leigh-Watts powered his way through on the left flank to score in the corner to increase Ellingham’s lead before the man of the match, number eight George Randall, scored the first of his brace of tries six minutes later.

Eastleigh fought back when fly-half Aaron Barnes ran through the home side’s defence in the 35th minute to score a well-worked try, with his teammate Phil Baldwin adding the additional two points to claw their way back into the game.

Ellingham started the second half 20-13 in the lead, but Randall extended the lead with his second try after a decisive run, with the conversion slotted by Tom Veneroso.

Tom Veneroso was shown a yellow card for ill-discipline for the second week in a row, and Phil Baldwin slotted over the resultant penalty.

In the last ten minutes of a hotly contested game, the home team broke free with Tom Veneroso back on the pitch. He was held up just short of the try line but could pop the ball out to his brother, captain and scrum-half Sammy Venoroso, who muscled over the line before his brother added the extras.

Late in the game, flanker Andrew Lorton powered his way through the tiring defence to score Ellingham’s sixth try, which Tom Veneroso slotted through the uprights to extend their score.

In the dying embers of the game, hooker Pat Fraser powered over the line in typical style to score the final try to give them a resounding victory over their rivals.

The win meant they leapfrogged Eastleigh in the league to fourth spot to perhaps enhance Ellingham’s push for promotion.

Next up, Ellingham & Ringwood travels to West Sussex to take on second-from-bottom Bognor at 3pm this Saturday.

Ellingham & Ringwood: A. Payne, P. Fraser, T. Sampson, C. Scott, M. Treloar, T. Johnson, A. Lorton, G. Randall, S. Veneroso, T. Veneroso, H. Leigh-Watts, D. Patrice, A. Higgins, C. Frost, C. Jeffes. Subs: L. Reynolds, B. Evans, H. Wescott.