London 3 South-West pacesetters Andover came out on top in a tough and uncompromising encounter at New Milton, but were given an early scare.

Milton took the lead with a well taken try from Chris Conacher after roaring out of the blocks, but soon after a lovely chip kick from Charlie Waite saw Elliott Copestake go over and, with Waite adding the conversion, Andover had weathered the storm.

Behind a dominant set piece Andover began to turn the screw and Sam Froggett extended the lead before Marc Wilding finished a pushover, with Waite adding the conversion and a penalty before the break.

The second half proved a closer battle but a converted penalty try from another scrum and a second effort from Froggett completed matters (34-5) for the league leaders.

Afterwards coach Andy Waite said: “This was a very good performance against a side we felt would be dangerous at home. We played with great discipline and stuck to our game plan and we’ve now put ourselves in a really good position to push for promotion.”