ALTON 0, ROMSEY 31

WITH the better weather, Alton were able to play at Anstey Park for the first time in three months, and they could not have chosen stronger opponents for their homecoming.

Hampshire 2 leaders Romsey came with the perfect record of 16 games, 16 wins, with an average of 45 points per match.

Back in December, Alton were beaten 75-7 by Romsey and played better than the score suggests. Alton more than halved the deficit this time, even after getting the worst possible start. With just two minutes gone, full-back Tom Burgess was caught in front of his own posts and Jack Groves ambled over for a try that was converted by Jake Fulford.

In response, Alton took the game into Romsey’s half and were awarded a penalty some 20 metres out. Inexplicably, Mark Crowther’s kick never left the ground.

Chris Street finished off a strong Ropley backs’ move, after which Alton raised their game and kept the visitors’ defence busy with determined running, particularly from Alex Hayward, this week in the second row, and centres Mark Hosey and James Crowther.

But Romsey were setting a pattern of scoring every ten minutes. Despite Alton holding a much stronger and heavier pack at bay, Groves broke from the back of the scrum to score. Fulford suffered the same embarrassment as Crowther as he tried to convert.

Exactly to schedule, on 30 minutes, Romsey scored their fourth and bonus-point try through Dan Penn-Newman, Fulford this time making no mistake.

Alton brought Richie Hemmens and Josh Smith off the bench for the second half and with both attack and defence toughened up, the visitors spent much of the time in enemy territory. Adopting ‘pick up and go until stopped’ tactics and with willing support runners, Alton made good progress and several times were halted only just short of the line.

The scoring pattern disrupted, Romsey had to wait until the 79th minute to impose their superior forward power, Tom Van Etten claiming the final try and Fulford converting.

On April 2, Alton visit old friends and rivals Overton who will finish in a creditable third in Hampshire 2.