Match Reports 08-09 from Rob Passingham

Match Report- 20th September, 2008
Millbrook 2 v IOW 2 – 34-10

1st half- the game started off slow, both sides scrappy handling but picked up once IOW went over for a try. As game went on Jason Gradage pulled back a try for Millbrook converted by Simon Coffin. IOW kick off to start game, Millbrook catch only to be turned over as IOW then attack the Millbrook defence, after a few plays Millbrook came back  to spend the last quarter attacking the IOW line. During this time IOW gave away a penalty which was taken quickly by Simon Coffin who then went on to score the try also kicking the conversion. Play went on both teams battling hard right up to the half time whistle.

2nd half- started off as it finished both sides battling well Millbrook then put pressure on IOW good ball through the hands of the backs opened up the play for Ryan Jones to go over for a try, conversion missed. As game went on Millbrook went over for another two tries first scored by Luke Campbell the other a penalty scored by Rob Passingham IOW came back to score another try. Last ten minutes Millbrook put pressure on again Dave Winary supported well to score final try of the game all played well to get the game won. Unlucky for Steve Mabey who had try disallowed due to a forward pass.

4th October, 2008
Millbrook v Fawley - 23-0

Todays game against Fawley was a bit scrappy with both teams disrupted by injury's during the game. We started well with Mike Mulcahy scoring in the corner from good interplay between forwards and backs. We increased our lead when a quickly taken penalty was cross kicked to the corner for full back Mark Colmer to score, which he also converted. Shortly after that centre Dan Wade left the field with a head injury. Veteran Jim Brown(49) came on at scrum half and we shuffled our backs. Mark Colmer kicked a penalty and at half time it was 15-0.

Shortly after the restart Fawley lost a player with what looked like a broken ankle.The game restarted after a long pause and Fawley were applying pressure when a loose kick was snapped up by fly half Richard Comer, who raced the length of the pitch to score. Centre Luke Cambell then left the field with a leg injury and was replaced by hooker Luke Farmer. Although we kept the pressure on we only managed another penalty by Mark Colmer. We were very pleased with our defence keeping a team which were so free scoring in their first league game, to zero.

11th October, 2008
Millbrook - 3-43

At the moment we are really struggling with injuries in the centre. We started with Luke Campbell and Dave Owens who normaly plays full back in the 2nds. After 5mins and finding ourselves 3-0 down, Richard Colmer, our fly half, recieved a bang on the head and had to leave the field to be replaced by Sonny Bedwell, a former prop and flanker, after a hasty reshuffle we got our act together and our forward dominance resulted in a push over try scored by Mike Mucahy. Good interplay between forwards and backs saw Dean Weaver score converted, by Mark Colmer. As we continued to apply pressure, Nomads gave away a penalty, this was taken quickly by Richard Goodridge, the ball was moved at speed for Ratu Degei to score.

In the 2nd half Mike Mulcahy scored another push over try and from the restart some excellent driving play resulted in Weaver scoring again. Soon after this Sonny Bedwell chased a kick which bounced kindly for him to score. Weaver completed his hat trick following up a break from a line out. Mark Colmer finnished with four conversions.

18th October, 2008
Winchester 2 v Millbrook - 24-14

It was a good hard game, our tries were scored by Mike Randell, who came on, scored and then went off injured again, and Dan Wade who moved from center to fly-half. Both were converted by Mark Colmer. An impressive debut for Millbrook by Mike Cronin in the center.

Millbrook 2 v Fawley 2

This match did not take place and is being looked into on behalf of the players.

25th October 2008
Millbrook v Lytchett Minster

As a team we were very pleased with our performance today. Our forwards dominated the game and our linking play was great. Sonny bedwell scored 2 tries on his farewell game with his knee opps due soon. Tom colling scored a well worked try from a blind side scrum. Mike mulcahy capped a great game with a forceful try from a driving play. The opposition kept the pressure on but could not live with the pace of the millbrook pack.
What can i say about this weeks performance. We(most senior players) think that is the best game we have played for at least 2 years.Lee Davie came in at short notice having played very little rugby lately and was awesome.Mike Cronin playing his 1st league game read the game very well. Sonny Bedwell playing in his retirement game played out of his skin.All this against a team who said last year that they only play 2 Fijians because it's not fair to the other teams then play 4 against us.Although the penalty count was heavily in their favour i felt that our discipline was good as we stuck to our game plan and just kept the pressure on.We made our mark on the game by scoring in the 1st minute with Sonny going over from a great forward drive.We were rarely out of their half in the first period but only had a try in the last minute of play scored by an acrobatic Mike Mulcahy to show for it.We started slowly in the 2nd half and their fly half made the most of a quick tap penalty to score and convert to bring the score to 10-7 we then converted a penalty through Mark Colmer but then conceded a very kickable penalty which their fly half made a hash of. After that it was all one way traffic with Mark kicking another penalty Tom Colling scoring from a well worked scrum move and Sonny rounding it all off with a try from a quick tap penalty with the last play of the game converted by Mark Colmer.What i was most pleased with is we defended very well and played for the entire 80 minutes.

1st november, 2008
Millbrook v Aldershot & Fleet - 14-6

Another good win for us today. Although it was a low scoring game both teams tried to move the ball around in terrible weather conditions. Aldershot opened the scoring early with a well taken penalty kick, but we replied with a try by man of the match Dean Weaver, he was on the end of some fine free flowing rugby to touch down under the posts, Mark Colmer kicked the simple conversion. Aldershot replied immediately with another good penalty in the gusting wind. Although they exerted a lot of pressure on us, they never came close to crossing our line in the first half. Aldershot were unlucky with injuries as the keenly contested forward battle took it's toll. They ended up using all their reserves during the match and also finished with some walking wounded, it showed their commitment to keep going as they did.
In the second half, Dean Weaver made the most of a quick tap penalty to squeeze over for his second with Mark Colmer again converting from a difficult angle. Millbrook's backs defended well with Ben Edgson and Luke Campbell tackling everything in the centre. The defensive work by both forwards and backs, against a team who have scored freely in other games was outstanding, this was the big difference between the teams on the day.

Saturday December 6th Fixtures
Millbrook v Fareham Heathens - 17-8

On Saturday Heathens put us under a lot of pressure right from the kick off but we defended very well, and on occasion rode our luck with their backs dropping the ball when they had an overlap. In the first half, the scrums were quite even and at half time all they had to show for all their pressure was a single penalty.
In the second half our forwards began to get on top, after a series of forward drives Richard Colmer dropped a goal to bring the scores level. Soon after we spun the ball wide from quick recycled ball, Richard Colmer took an inside pass chipped the last man and flanker Gary Silverthorn won the race to touch down. Mark Colmer kicked the conversion from wide out to make it 10-3. We kept them in their half and after a series of scrums with our forwards driving them back the ball squirted loose and scrum half Alan Day fell on the loose ball. Mark Colmer again kiced the difficult conversion. There was time for Heathens to finaly get over the line from a quick tap penalty but it was too little too late. Great game this weekend and our league looks interesting now.

Chinham 2 v Millbrook 2 - Chinham failed to turn up.

Saturday 7th February
Fawley v Millbrook - 5-31

Millbrook overcame a defiant Fawley side in their league clash on Saturday to jump back to joint the top of the league with Aldershot. Millbrook started the game superbly, scoring twice within the first fifteen minutes. Mike Mulcahy and Ratu Degei both scoring good forward tries and Mark Colmer adding one conversion.
Millbrook then eased off the gas and Fawley threw everything into the game. Some good last ditch tackling stopped the Fawley backs breaking through. Millbrook then picked up the pace again and saw themselves camped in the Fawley 22. Alan Day placed a box kick from the back of ruck for winger Tom Colling to chase down and score a good wingers try.
Half time score 17-0.
Second half kicked-off and while there some sloppy play from Millbrook, Fawley were not able to get past the Millbrook defence. Some good breaks from Dean Weaver and Ratu Degei saw Millbrook get close again to the Fawley line. Once again Millbrook scored with Dan Wade throwing a dummy and going round his man to score under the posts. Dan Wade then went close to scoring again only to be held up over the line. Millbrook went for the pushover try only for the Fawley fly-half to illegally pick up the ball from the back of the scrum. Penalty try awarded. The score was now 31-0. Fawley carried on throwing everything into the game and eventually scored an uncoverted try for their efforts however never really looked like taking the game against a lacklustre Millbrook side.

Millbrook now have four big league games left to play and know they are now playing for the league title.

Winchester 3rds failed to notify us of the cancelled match.

Overton v Millbrook (Plate quarter final) - 12-14

Millbrook saw off tough opposition in the form of Overton to book themselves a home clash in the semi-final of the Gales Hampshire Plate. Within the opening minutes of the game the Overton backs passed the ball quickly along the line. The ball got out to Overton winger who then dropped it. The Millbrook winger, Mike Randell  then picked up and then outpaced the covering full-back to score some early points.

Conversion added by Mark Colmer. 7-0 to Millbrook. After this wake up call Overton then through everything into the game. Attack after attack saw them staying in the Millbrook half however the hearty defence kept the Overton attacks at bay. Overton then eventually broke the try line,scored and converted. 7-7. Some brilliant line-out work from the forwards, notably jumpers Luke Wilson and Garrie Silverthorn, meant that Millbrook were able to gain turnover ball and put together some counter-attacks of their own. No further points added before half-time and Millbrook knowing it was all to play for.

Second half kicked-off and similar play continued in this half. Overton used the gradient of their pitch to their advantage and attacked again and again in the same corner. The Brook defence remained strong and some good clearance kicking by stand-in fly-half, Dan Wade, and full-back, Mark Colmer, gave Millbrook a breather. There were several knock-ons during the second half that were not picked up by the referee and eventually this allowed Overton to break the try line again and score. No conversion added.

Millbrook kept their heads high and then threw in some strong attacks through good forwards play to release the pacey backs across the game line. Several attacks were made and a chip through from Tom Colling saw a lineout on the Overton 5 metre line. Overton took the lineout and through the ball straight to the Millbrook captain Dean Weaver who span around the defender and touched down for Millbrook's second try. Mark Colmer again proved his kicking ability by converting from out wide.

With about 10 minutes to play the Millbrook defence remained strong, as they had done all game. The final whistle blew with the score 14-12 to Millbrook and a place in the semi-final secured.

Lytchett Minster v Millbrook 20-44

Millbrook kept their unbeaten winning streak for 2009 by soundly beating Lytchett Minster in their hampshire 2 league match on Saturday. They started the game superbly with Mike Mulcahy crossing the line within the first 5 minutes and keeping his scoring tally ticking over nicely for the season. Conversion added. Millbrook were then awarded a penalty which Mark Colmer slotted between the posts. Again from the kick-off Millbrook found themselves back in the Lytchett 22 and quick passing from the back of the ruck saw winger Tom Colling score a well taken try in the corner. Conversion added.

Lytchett Minster then tried to get back into the game and gained some small breaks of possession however the clearance-kicking presence of Richard Colmer repeatedly put the opposition on the back foot. Again Millbrook found themselves camped in the Lytchett 22. Second row, Ratu Degei, combined well with Luke Wilson and Mike "Macca" McNeish to score a well worked try from a lineout move straight off the training ground. The conversion was added. Luke Wilson stole several lineout balls and built a further platform for Ratu Degei to crash through the opposition defence and score once more before half-time. Mark Colmer again converting. Some illegal play by the Millbrook forwards saw Lytchett Minster get a penalty in front of the posts. This was kicked over and the half-time score 31-3 to Millbrook.

The second half began with Millbrook coming off the gas heavily and allowing the Lytchett side to attack and look for some points of their own. Lytchett then added another penalty and quickly followed with a converted try from their forwards, taking the score to 31-13. The game was then quite evenly matched for possession over the next  10 minutes with only a penalty added by Mark Colmer for Millbrook. Millbrook made an attack down the left wing however the Millbrook winger Mike Randell pulled up with a hamstring injury and was substituted. Another well worked lineout move saw Dean Weaver take the ball over the line for a further score, also keeping his try tally ticking over well for the season.

Lytchett replied well with their fly-half chipping through and chasing his own kick to score a brilliant individual try under the posts which he also converted. The score now was 39-20 to Millbrook. There was to be one more score to the game and this opportunity fell to Mike McNeish who found himself, uncharacteristically, out on the wing. His first try for the club, capping off a good performance by both himself and the Millbrook side. Final score 44-20 to Millbrook who keep their fight for the league title well on track.

Millbrook 2 v Chinham 2 - 50-0

Despite the score this match was well fought for most of its time. A depleted Chinham team, who had players missing in action turned up short and Millbrook lent three men to equal the numbers. It looked for a while as if Chinham would have the upper hand both upfront and out wide, with good set driving play and a fine performance from their fly-half, but Millbrook weathered the storm and made the tackles that mattered. Millbrook eventually started to get organised and showed the experience they had available to score some well worked trys from both tight and open play. Many thanks to Chinham for coming down short and showing the true spitit of community rugby. Scorers are in the fixture page for the seconds.

Below is a copy of an email reeived from Chinham following the game detailed above, I believe this to be a shining example of the way rugby at grass routed level is still keeping true to the ethos of the game.

Hi Jackie (Millbrook Secretary) 
 
As the 2nd team captain of Chineham, I would like to say thank you to Millbrook 2nds for the spirit in which both the game was played and especially the loaning of two players on Saturday. The match was truly played in the spirit that merit league 3 games should be played, and I am sure all 30 plus players involved in the game enjoyed their Saturday afternoon. Please pass my thank you on to the 2nd team captain.
 
Good luck for the rest of the season.
 
David Floyd
Chineham Rugby
2nd Team Captain

Saturday 28th Feb 09 - Millbrook v US Portsmouth

Millbrook's Gales plate hopes faded on Saturday as they lost out to a strong US Portsmouth side in their Gales Plate Semi-Final, however the Millbrook side put in a tough performance and showed that they have what it takes to challenge teams in the Hampshire 1 league should they get promoted this year.
The game started superbly for 'Brook. Richard Colmer  was able to make the most of an early sin-bin to US Portsmouth by chipping through and chasing his own kick to score out wide and put Millbrook in an early lead. No conversion added. The game was very physical during the first half with both sides putting in big tackles and making good ground. US Portsmouth eventually broke the Millbrook defence and scored an unconverted try. The away team then had a large majority of the play for the next 10 minutes and there full-back made a strong run to score a try under the posts. Conversion added. Half-time score 12-5 to US Portsmouth.
Millbrook came out fighting in the second half and Mark Colmer soon added a penalty taking the score to 12-8 and keeping Millbrook close in the game. US Portsmouth added another converted try showing that their backs were a well drilled outfit able to put several strong attacks together. Some strong play from the Millbrook forwards got them into the opposition 22 and saw Dean Weaver held up twice over the line. The away team defended well under the pressure but Millbrook battled well and looked like they could have been winning the game. US Portsmouth added one further try without the conversion taking the score to 24-8 to the away side. No further scores were added by either side.
Millbrook should be proud of their achievements in this game and no concentrate on next weeks league game against Aldershot & Fleet.

Eastliegh ll  30-5  Millbrook ll                B.Kirby 1 try.
Millbrook started well, confident with a strong team, but the Eastliegh outfit were also in good form and proved to have too much strength in several key areas. Millbrook were unable to compete at lineout's and this is an area we will have to work on. Simon Coffin had an unusually bad day with the boot and failed to find touch on many occasions, giving Eastliegh even more opportunities to attack. Also the Millbrook pack were generally too loose, giving scrumhalf, Alan Griffin a much harder task than it needed to be. We need to tighten up in all areas.

Saturday 7th March Aldershot & Fleet v Millbrook
Millbrook's promotion hopes took a big dent yesterday as they travelled to joint top league leaders Aldershot & Fleet. The game started evenly with both sides making good ground and having their fair share of possession, Richard Colmer's kicking boot proving a useful tool in relieving some of the pressure applied by Aldershot.

Millbrook's pack were performing strongly in the scrums and some fierce tackling from the forwards, notably skipper Dean Weaver, soaked up the Aldershot pressure. However, Aldershot were the first to get points on the board, scoring an unconverted try through some good support play by their backs. Millbrook responded quickly at the restart and looked to keep the ball tight and work up the field. A lineout was won inside the Aldershot 22 and a well worked move saw Dean Weaver take the ball down the blindside and break through a tackle to score out wide. Mark Colmer adding the conversion. No further points before half-time meaning Millbrook went into the break 7-5 up.

The second half kicked-off and continued as the first finished. Both sides making ground but no clinical finishing meant neither sides would add any more tries. However the penalty count was highly in Aldershot's favour. One penalty was kicked early in the second half taking Aldershot into an 8-7 lead and a further penalty was added towards the end of the game giving Aldershot an 11-7 victory. Millbrook have now dropped to third due to Fareham Heathens win over Fawley but have both Overton and Fareham Heathens to play for their last league games.

Millbrook ll  24-30  Aldershot & Fleet ll  C.Dick,N.Myers,M.Carmichael, G.Havis 3con 1pen.
An extremely disappointing result! Millbrook built up a commanding lead of 24-6 at halftime with the game was being played well. The forwards were particularly strong in the tight play, making many tackles around the base of rucks and mauls.
After halftime we made 4 replacements with players of a good standard, but the spirit drained out of the home team and the performance spiralled downwards allowing the opposition to score 3 tries and a penalty to steal the game.

Saturday 14th March Millbrook v Havant 3rds
Millbrook played Havant III XV in a late rearranged friendly fixture. The game started with a high intensity from Millbrook, scrum half Alan Day opening the scoring followed quickly by Dean Weaver. Both tries converted and Millbrook setting the pace of the game. Again from the kick-off Millbrook found themselves with quick ball and a good switch move by the backs saw Dan Wade break through the Havant defence and go round the last man to score near the posts. A further conversion added by Mark Colmer.

Millbrook kept the high intensity up and played some free flowing rugby with backs and forwards linking well. Some quick ball through the hands and some sloppy mistakes by the Havant side gave Richard Colmer the chance to scoop up loose ball and outpace the opposition defenders to score out wide, conversion missed. Millbrook then suffered, as have done in previous games, from some complacency and eased off the intensity they had set. This allowed the Havant side to get into the game and show that they were a well drilled side. Some good passages of play from them saw them attack the Millbrook try line. However, the Brook defence did not looking like cracking under the pressure.

Half time whistle went and the score was 26-0 to Millbrook. The second half continued with Havant laying on the pressure and for their efforts a well worked try was scored and converted. This started up the MIllbrook side again and some strong runs from outside centre, Mike Cronin, saw the home side put the pressure back on Havant. Dean Weaver then continued his strong scoring tally for the season and added two further tries to give him a hat-trick on the day. Both conversions added by Mark Colmer and the game killed off. Final score Millbrook 40 Havant III 7.

Saturday 14/03/2009 Millbrook ll  3-24  Fareham Heathens ll    T.Page pen
A good performance from Millbrook saw us take the lead against a well drilled Heathens team. Millbrook went through the different phases well and that was a big improvement on past weeks. However Heathens, who play in a league above proved too strong in the second half and ran in three tries.

Saturday 21/03/2009 - Millbrook v Gosport & Fareham 2 - 59-19
Millbrook faced Gosport & Fareham II XV in a friendly fixture at the weekend. This saw the opportunity to try some different players in the team. Alan Griffin came in at scrum half, Mike Phippard returning from a lengthy injury in the centres and Jordie Coffin and Mike Trench covering the flanks. The adjusted squad looked strong from the kick-off and an early effort from Dan Wade saw the home side take the lead. No conversion added. Millbrook kept up the pressure and from some determined ball-chasing Tom Colling scored an unconverted try. Again Millbrook were able to attack from the off, winning quick ball and spreading it wide to work up the pitch. The next try was to come from the forwards with Fijian second row, Ratu Degei, going over. Mark Colmer adding the conversion taking the score to 17-0. Dan Wade suffered from an injury in the next spell and was replaced by Richard Colmer at fly-half.

Gosport & Fareham did not look like giving up easily and some sloppy defending by the Millbrook defence saw them break the line and score their own converted try. Millbrook then took the ball from the kick-off and again worked up the field. There was some clever linking play between backs and forwards Dave Owens go over for a converted try and then shortly followed by some good play between flankers Mike Trench and Jordie Coffin, allowing Jordie to go over for a further converted try. Half-time and the score 31-7 in the home sides favour.

Some changes at half-time saw Alan Day come on at scrum half and Mike Mulcahy and Dean Weaver replacing the two flankers. Gosport came out strongly in the second half and added another converted try to their tally. Richard Colmer then added two clever individual tries with the conversions added by his brother Mark. And again Millbrook didn't ease off from the restart and some good kicking and chasing through from Garrie Silverthorn and Tom Colling saw a try coming. This move found Millbrook in the opposition 22 and eventually Alan Day dived over for a further converted try. The score was now 52-12 to Millbrook. Millbrook now home and dry eased off from the restart and some more sloppy defence allowed Gosport to break the line, score under the posts and convert. Millbrook were to have the last score of the day with Sonny Bedwell, having come on as a replacement score and Richard Colmer adding the final conversion. Final score 59-19 to Millbrook and two recent strong performances looking positive for next weeks league clash.

Millbrook ll 15-19 Fordingbridge ll  G.Machin try, M.Trench try, J.Coffin try.
An excellent game of rugby. I was pleased that we were able to field a full team even after a staggering five drop-outs on Saturday morning!
As we were home to two friendly fixtures we organised a three player swap at half-time to give second team players some first team experience. Jordy Coffin profited well from this and scored in both games. Graham Machin at second row played well in his first full game for the seconds scoring his first try after a period of forward pressure in the corner. Millbrooks other try coming from Mike Trench who was in typical domineering form.

Saturday 28th March - Millbrook v Overton 29-14
Millbrook guaranteed themselves Hampshire 1 rugby next season, should the league restructures take place, after defeating Overton in their clash at the weekend. Overton started the game strongly and camped themselves in the Millbrook 22 however the tough defence from Millbrook allowed no points to be conceded. Millbrook soaked up the pressure and soon broke out of their half and attacked the opposition defence. Some free flowing rugby saw by Millbrook saw the first try come by shipping the ball wide and winger Bed Edgson powering over in the corner for an unconverted try.

The home side picked up the intensity from the kick-off and kept the pressure piling on the Overton defence. Again the ball was shipped wide and a good off-loading in the tackles saw Garrie Silverthorn pass out to Tom Colling, who then passed inside to Dean Weaver to go over for his first try of the game. No conversion added. The next try was also added by skipper Dean Weaver and came from a trademark move off lineout ball. Conversion added by Mark Colmer and half-time whistle blown with the score 17-0 in the home sides favour.

Full-back, Mark Colmer, left the field at half-time with an injury and was replaced by Dave Owens. Second-half kicked off and the break seemed to slightly diminish the pressure being applied by Millbrook. This soon showed with Overton scoring a converted try. Richard Colmer replied quickly with a chip-and-chase try of his own. No conversion added. Another replacement was used which saw Alan Griffin, who had a strong performance at scrum half, replaced by Alan Day. The Overton side remained determined and again added another converted try taking the score to 22-14. However this wasn't enough and Millbrook soon shut them out and kept the possession over the final 20 minutes of the game. A final score from Richard Colmer capped off a game for him, he intercepted a pass in the Overton 22, dived over the line for a try and then add the conversion to take the final score to 29-14 to Millbrook.

Saturday 4th April - Millbrook XV v Kenilworth Pirates (Touring side fixture from Bureau) - 75-52

Saturday 18th April - Fareham Heathens v Millbrook 8-6
Millbrook travelled to Fareham Heathens for their final league fixture of the season. Before the start they suffered a setback with full-back Mark Colmer having to pull out through a recurring injury, Ben Edgson taking his place. The opposition were looking to make a day of this fixture, with it essentially being a promotion play-off game, and both sides having a strong set of supporters. The game started slowly for Millbrook, the well-drilled Heathens pack rucking well and able to retain possession. However, the Millbrook defence swallowed this up and eventually worked themselves into the game and got some possession of their own. Both sides were cancelling each other out all across the field and no real advantage being gained.

A penalty was awarded to Millbrook for some infringement by the Heathens players and Richard Colmer cooly slotted over the posts to give Millbrook a 3-0 advantage. This lifted the away side and allowed them to apply to some further pressure, Ratu Degei with some strong runs and Sonny Bedwell going close to scoring. Heathens then pushed an attack of their own and came close to line before the half time whistle. Dan Wade receiving a cut to the head and by substituted at half-time. Millbrook taking a lowly-scoring lead of 3-0 into the break.

Second-half kicked off and Millbrook looked strong, Mike Mulcahy coming on in the forwards and Sonny Bedwell moving out to the centres. Some good running lines were put together and Millbrook coming close to the line but not able to find the finishing touch. Mike Cronin made several good runs and the Heathens defence was put under pressure. They kicked the ball away time and time again only for Tom Colling to collect and run it straight back at them. However, this pressure was not turned into points. Heathens then re-took the majority of possession and shipped the ball out wide where they had an overlap and their winger was able to score right in the corner. No conversion added. The game then became very rushed and Millbrook were not able to put together a successful attack. The last five minutes of the game saw Millbrook close to the opposition try line but no further points were added and Fareham Heathens won the game 8-6.

Although this has not guaranteed Millbrook's promotion they are holding out for the league restructures to take place which should see them in the new Hampshire 1 league next year.

Millbrook ll  24-14  Portsmouth 4 - Report by Kevin Byatt
Tries: G.Machin, J.Grant, S.Coffin, J.Coffin.    S.Coffin 2 conversions.

This game was arguably Millbrook's best performance of the season! The best feature being the pack provided clean ruck ball over and over again. This was down to complete commitment to numbers driving in and nobody hanging out. Our pack was actually quite light, but what we lacked in weight, we made up for in determination. James Henderson in the second row, had a fine game dominating the line outs and also very active in the loose. Another youngster to shine was James Grant on the wing who scored his first try.