An outstanding all-round performance by 19-year-old Adam Baker was the highlight as Alton swept Romsey aside in the Hampshire Cup at a sodden Anstey Park on Sunday.
The home side ran in five tries in a routine victory over a side two leagues below them. There was nothing routine about Baker's performance, however. The No 8 helped himself to two tries and his pace, strength and handling in the appalling conditions lightened the gloom considerably.
With league issues to the fore, the early rounds of the Hampshire can truly feel like the Worthington Cup. Alton took the chance to blood some newer players, including young prop Jonathan Speed-Andrew and flanker Lee Higgins and they certainly earned their post-match shandies with solid performances.
Romsey, currently flying high at the top of the Hampshire League, achieved parity in the scrums and competed fiercely in the loose, but were ultimately undone by Alton's sharper handling and greater creativity out wide.
Alton opened the scoring 15 minutes in through a try by the ever-eager Winston Carter. Carter gratefully touched down after the visitors' defence made a complete hash of a seemingly innocuous cross-kick by fly-half Tony Watson.
Shortly afterwards, Baker doubled the score following a close-range drive and he then effectively sealed the match with a cheeky try just before the break. A quick tap-penalty caught the Romsey defence cold and Baker danced over from close in. David Rowledge missed all three conversions.
Trailing 15-0, Romsey started the second period strongly, but lacked the variety out wide and, unsurprisingly, it was the home side who struck after 53 minutes with a beauty of a try.
An audacious counter-attack sent Ben Chant scurrying down the right wing and a jinking run by Stephen Johns took Alton 80 yards downfield in a trice. From the ensuing ruck, the ball was moved to the short side and a neat fingertip pass by Watson put Carter over in the left corner. Simplicity itself.
The drenched home crowd was sent home happy a minute from time with Alton's fifth try. Rowledge, a menace in attack and defence throughout, somehow stole a ball in midfield and his pop-pass allowed Watson to scamper under the posts from 30 yards out. Rowledge completed the scoring in the near-darkness, but he, Baker and his colleagues can congratulate themselves on a bright and breezy performance.
For Romsey, centre Jerry Francis had a strong game, while Nick Creal did well in an unaccustomed scrum-half role.
Alton: Frith; Chant, Johns, Rowledge, Carter; Watson, Law; Bailey, Kerr, Speed-Andrew (Bowden); Hopkins, Moran (France); Higgins (Wilson), Baker, Green.
Tries: Carter (2), Baker (2), Watson; conversion: Rowledge.