Millbrook shock high fliers (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Millbrook shock high fliers

8:41am Tuesday 5th March 2013 in Southampton By Clive Downton

It looks like being a nervous run up to the end of the Snows Group Hampshire 1 season.

Early pacesetters and runaway leaders New Milton & District slipped up at Alton while second placed Fordingbridge missed their chance to close the gap at the top after losing out at Millbrook.

Alton’s 38-29 defeat of New Milton showed a vast turn-around from two weeks ago when they were trounced 72-0 by Fordingbridge.

However, the home team looked to be back to full strength for the New Milton encounter.

Both Alton and Milton ran in five tries but three successful penalties turned out to be the difference between the sides.

Alex Everett-Bolter, Chris Conacher, James Poole, Ed Stone and Andy George scored Milton’s tries.

Millbrook may finish out of the top two but continue to enjoy taking the scalps of teams above them.

They did it again at the weekend, defeating Fordingbridge 16-10 with Mark Colmer claiming all his side’s points.

But the outside centre was quick to heap praise on his forwards who set the platform for Brook’s victory at their Five Acres HQ.

Early pressure from Brook gave Colmer the opportunity to slot home two first-half penalties but Bridge hit back with a try from Dan Brown to trail by a point at the break.

Ten minutes into the second half Brook stole a line-out through Luke Wilson. Good interaction through forwards and backs found Dan Wade who fed Colmer to score under the posts and convert.

He followed that up with another penalty.

Bridge needed a couple of tries to win and, with Millbrook forced into three changes in the pack, the visitors eventually crossed the line through Sam Elkins.

Fordingbridge attacked at every opportunity but were repelled by determined defending – even when the home side was down to 14 men through Tom Barnes’ sin binning.

Romsey almost added another shock to the list – narrowly losing out at US Portsmouth.

The visitors were 28-10 down at one point but battled back to 28-25.

Romsey forwards led the fightback – winning more and more ball, shoving US Portsmouth off it at the scrums and creating havoc at their opponents’ lineout.

Romsey’s points came via tries from centre Adam Knibb, hooker Ben Hewitt and flanker Michael Peace and ten points from James Stent’s boot.

Southampton have had their sights set on a mid-table finish but continued their slide in the opposite direction.

Saints are now third-from-bottom after losing out 41-19 at Farnborough.

Julian Robbins scored a try for Saints in the first half, Eric Johnston got another with a 50-yard sprint after the break and Mark Price added a third with Ryan Keary kicking two conversions.

Rob Greenaway, only just back from injury, broke his leg just above the ankle in the last play of the game.

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