Floods scuppering training, squad members missing the Red Jet and key players lost to injury saw the Ventnor RFC fall heavily on Saturday (January 6).

Andover II 80 – 0 Ventnor

It was Ventnor who started the game brighter away at Andover after good work from kick-off took the Islanders into the home side’s 22.

A minute later, all had changed, with Tom Crews out with a head injury and skipper Lewis Jones sidelined with a recurring hand injury.

By the time substitutes Tristan Price and Ryan Cooper had taken to the field, Ventnor were down by two converted tries.

Then, Max Wheeler was down and out with a knee injury, and substitute Price heard his hamstring pop, sending Ventnor down to 13.

Things got worse after the other substitute, Cooper, came off with a knee strain but bravely returned to the pitch.

Charlie Magnurson, struggling with a rib injury, also refused to leave the field.

Andover kept racking up the scores, but Ventnor rallied behind Ben Savill and never gave up.

Fred Fairman chased down a Sam Lines through kick and used his footballing skills to charge upfield.

Despite a blatant block, which hardly slowed him, he recovered the ball and support work by Jason Coltham, Ed Blake, and Ben Souter almost put Cooper in for a deserved try.

Later in the game, after a turnover by George Collett, Ventnor demonstrated what might have been with an attack led by Will Harrison that Blake and Andy Teague took into the red zone.

Souter put the ball out wide, but the out-numbered Joe Coghlan wasn’t quite able to link up with Callum Martin, and the try went begging.