Lewis Evans opened the scoring for Gosport in the first five minutes, going over the line after displaying his usual speed on the wing. Gosport had most of the possession in the first half but the game was very tight, hard fought and tense. Portsmouth rallied just before the break but the score remained 5-0 going into the interval.
After the break, it was Portsmouth who scored in the opening minutes and this gave them the confidence to kick on and they began to show why they were top of the league. However, Gosport stood firm and their excellent fifteen man defence, marshalled by Louis Oldfield, repelled the opposition’s advances. Portsmouth became frustrated and a yellow card was produced for a stamping, fortunately the Gosport player was not seriously hurt.
Taking advantage of the number superiority and the confidence gained from their refusal to buckle under the Portsmouth pressure, Gosport began to achieve territory and take command of the game. Tom Rimmer was outstanding and Sam Yeardley showed what a special player he is – and it was Yeardley who scored the winning try with a dazzling run through Portsmouth’s defence.
The victory was a resounding success for team-play, every single member of the Gosport squad can take the plaudits and know they contributed to a magnificent team effort.
Tries: Lewis Evans, Sam Yeardley
MoM: Louis Oldfield
PoD: Tom Rimmer
PitH: Steve Bennett (Anger Management)
Team: Taylor, Winter, Haggard, Hamilton (Plows), Cathcart (Solanki), Holstead, Oldfield, Pitt, Firth, Rimmer, Evans, Batley, Yeardley, Allot- Nickerson, Philo. Replacements: Brown, McCall, Smith.
Touchline Reporter: Smudger (Burlington Bertie) Smith