Portsmouth 20 Andover 19
A wonder try in the first minute from man of the match Joey Yates, was not quite enough to earn Saxon Safety sponsored Andover a win on the road at leaders Portsmouth last Saturday.
As the game kicked off, full back Bryn Waite fielded the ball and put in a superb long kick and somehow the blistering teenage winger plucked the ball from the air and raced fifty meters to complete an incredible score converted by Rich Retallick.
In a pulsating game that swung one way and then the other, Andover came up just a point short despite a stirring comeback in the last ten minutes which saw a Yates Waite role reversal as Andover almost snatched it.
Andover did not lead for long as Yates try was soon cancelled out by the home side with a good catch and drive, before the game settled into a battle of attrition.
Andover had the better of it enjoying a lot of possession from a solid lineout and a dominant scrum. Kieron Bush, Callum Hollinshead and Jake Dixon were outstanding in the back row as Andover spent large spells in the home 22, but too often decision making let them down as the Portsmouth defence creaked.
Indeed at one point the home side were down to 13 with two yellow cards and still stubbornly held Andover at bay, until just before half time, when the returning Ryan McGealy attacked from a short scrum and fed Sean Higgins, before the excellent scrum half put Evan Roll in to score, with Retallick hitting the post with the conversion.
After the break Portsmouth, buoyed by a large noisy crowd came back at Andover strongly and soon added a second try to draw level.
Andover steadied the ship again with good spells of possession through Nic Reed and Tom Erskine and the tough tackling of Callum Barber Starkey and skipper CJ Feirn.
Crucially as it turned out though, prop Samson Earle, who had only been on the pitch a few moments, was adjudged to have deliberately knocked on and as he saw yellow the home team slotted the resulting penalty to edge ahead.
Down to fourteen Andover still fought hard, but in the end succumbed to a further try as the home side looked to have pulled away.
With Earle now back, but Andover having to reorganise the backs due to injury, no one could have predicted what ensued.
With time ticking away, Yates, now at stand off, set off on a mazy run before throwing a huge offload, which this time Waite took superbly before beating two defenders to score another wonderful try. Retallick converted and amazingly Andover still had a chance.
With moments left both sides scrapped for everything, but in the end it was not to be as the releived home side kicked the ball out to win by a single point.
Afterwards Director of Rugby Andy Waite was full of praise for the side ‘We have shown again to day what a good side we are and that we are developing strongly. We now have real strength in depth in most positions and a young back three that is terrorising everyone. With the likes of Ryan McGealy back in the fold as well, things are looking bright.