From left, IW players Richard Crossland, Neil Brading and Ed Lynch line up to stop Ventnor's Sam Lines. Fergus Kenny is in the background. Picture by Jennifer Burton.
Ventnor 8, IW 5
BEN Cooper held his nerve to kick the winning points in the final minute of this enthralling derby at Watcombe Bottom.
The full-back had an icy, swirling wind to contend with, as well as the pressure of knowing the kick would mean almost certain victory over 14-man IW, but he kicked sweet and true to earn his side some bragging rights and, more importantly, two points in Hampshire One.
Despite the low score, the match had been end to end for the whole 80 minutes and, to both sides’ credit, every player left the field having given their all.
It was a typical derby, with hard tackles flying in from every direction and this, combined with the cold weather, meant there were plenty of stoppages for injuries and cramps to be treated.
Unfortunately this meant free-flowing rugby was off the menu, and hard rucking and mauling became the staple.
From the outset the game was edgy although IW looked to be the slightly better side as they pushed Ventnor back into their own half more often.
However it took almost half an hour for the first points to be registered as, after a period of pressure IW were eventually given a penalty around ten metres out, and they ran the ball in through Martin Newnham. The kick from Neil Brading was missed.
As the half went on both sides became more physical and several skirmishes broke out sporadically through the game. One such incident was a scrap too far for the referee, and IW were reduced to 14 men just before the break when Adam Thomas was given a straight red card for punching.
This meant IW had to defend for their lives in the second half and try to protect their slender lead.
In the main they did this, camped in their own half for the majority of the remainder as they tried to prevent Ventnor attacks.
But there was nothing they could do in the 50th minute when, after a scrum in front of the IW posts, Ventnor fed the ball out to the right where Wayne Williams charged over. Cooper narrowly missed the conversion.
As the game went on, Ventnor were as guilty as the IW in failing to finish off good phases through the backs, and even though the IW began to tire and gaps were created, Ventnor could not find a way through and pull away.
But with just a minute left, IW conceded a penalty after a scrum in their own half and Cooper stepped up to win it.
Ventnor: Newbery, Franklin, Stemmet, Pickard, Morley, Williams, Berry, Riches, Newell, Kenny, Bell, Lush, Lines, Babington, Cooper. Subs: Testa, Morton, Wells.
IW: Puzey, Newnham, Jennings, Boulter, Thomas, Courtney, Lynch, Hay, Evans, Brading, Williams, Crossland, Stirrup, Tyson, White. Subs: Clarke, Tombleson, Paisley.