RUGBYGosport and Fareham III 17, Ryde 24
RYDE made sure near rivals Gosport and Fareham would not leapfrog them up the Merit Two table with a mainland win.
The game started as evenly as the league table suggested, with strong defence from both sides dominating the first ten minutes. It looked like it was going to take something special to break the deadlock and so it proved, Ryde’s captain and Wilks Lettings man of the match David True showing the way by going over under the posts, Vince Kennedy converting.
This buoyed Ryde’s spirits and they soon had a second score after fine work from the backs, and, in particular, The Falcon man of the match Dicky Waldron, which led to Kennedy surging over.
Ryde soon scored a third, this time Josh Sayers powering his way through several tackles to score in the corner. A mix up in Ryde’s defence allowed Gosport in to score just before the break and Ryde went into half time 17-5 ahead.
In the second half, Ryde extended their tally, Martin Kirwood-Slack picking up from the base of a scrum 20 metres out and battering his way through to score under the posts, Kennedy again converting.
Gosport’s strong substitutes, when they came on, used their power to narrow the gap, scoring twice in the closing stages to make for a nail-biting final few minutes, but Ryde held on.