IW Schools II 41 points
Chineham II 17 points
THE ISLAND seconds continued their move up the Merit league at Wootton Recreation Ground with an ultimately convincing win over Chineham.
But the outcome was still in doubt until the last 20 minutes, when the home side pulled away.
Chineham travelled short, but in the spirit of lower division rugby the IW donated them Ryan Leal, who went on to shine for them at centre. They also agreed to play 14-a-side from the start. The IW faced the slope in the first half, but had the early ascendancy and scored first. An audacious chip by Sam Tyson gave flying wing James Horton enough space to score in the corner.
Chineham’s reply was swift, forcing a penalty which they kicked to trail 5-3. Then an Island backline move was intercepted for a breakaway converted try, and the visitors were in the lead.
There was little to choose between the sides at this stage, as both competed well at the lineout while the rucks were fiercely contested and clean ball was priceless. Sam Lock seemed to be everywhere, new forward James Merry worked hard, while Colman Cotter was a calming influence at scrum-half.
The half ended with the IW battering the Chineham line as Tom Love and the superb Dave Gilpin came close, before the ball was spread and Brandon Frost-Jones cut back on the angle to score. Kieran Leahy’s conversion was accurate and enabled the Island to lead 12-10 at halftime.
Having come to terms with the challenge of the big Chineham forwards in the first half, the IW were optimistic for the second half, but had a nightmare start as a defensive mixup allowed Chineham another converted try. Their lead was shortlived, as the Island took a quick lineout and began a stunning move, finishing in a try for centre Tony Lillington to level the scores at 17-17.
As the game entered the final quarter, the IW upped the pace and the Chineham pack tired. The impressive Tyson finished off another flowing move for the lead score, which Gary Warvill converted. Warvill then showed great skill in chipping over the top and regathering for a fine individual try which was converted.
The hosts now could relax a little, and ran the ball with great pace and skill to yield two further tries, Tyson and Horton adding to their earlier scores. Chineham did fight back, putting the Island defence under pressure, but the likes of Lock, Gilpin and Kevin Scovell were equal to their efforts. The final whistle saw the IW celebrate back to back wins and look forward to future challenges.
Tomorrow (Saturday) the Island firsts travel to Fareham Heathens, while the seconds go to Farnborough. IW: Tyson, T White, Lillington, Harley, Horton, Warvill, Cotter, Scovell, Lilly, Frost-Jones, Merry, Leahy, D Gilpin, Love, Lock, Greedy, Collinson.
