Matchday Lunch Invite – Romsey v Farnham*

 

🍽️ You’re invited to our first Matchday Lunch of the season!

Come along on Saturday 6th September for a cracking afternoon at Romsey Rugby Club as we take on Farnham RFC.

 

🕰️ Bar opens at 12:30

🍴 Lunch served around 1:00pm

🏉 Romsey v Farnham – Kick-off at 3:00pm

 

Enjoy a delicious three-course lunch served by our Juniors & Colts, and soak up the matchday buzz with fellow supporters. VPs eat FREE* — and *everyone* is welcome!

Starter

Warmed Focaccia, Beef Tomato and Bruschetta with Parma Ham

Main

Lasagna al forno, Potato wedges and Mixed Seasonal salad

Dessert

Classic Tiramisu with teas and coffees Cheese Board Selection

 

🎟️ Book now: https://ticketpass.org/event/EAKEBR/matchday-lunch-romsey-v-farnham

 

*VPs have three inclusive lunches per season.

Romsey vs Portsmouth II

The last time the Roms and Pompey faced off, the contrast in atmosphere could not have been starker. On that grim day in November, Portsmouth were reeling from a series of defeats, their spirits battered by the torrential downpour, making for a grim contest. Today, however, the scene is set for a different kind of battle. Portsmouth, now unbeaten in the new year, have entered the arena with the intent to strike down promotion hopefuls Romsey, on the warmest day the arena has witnessed thus far.

In their last home league battle of the season, the Romsey side has undergone significant changes since their brutal clash in Aldershot. With the likes of Brad Piper, Ben Powell, and Michael Streicher absent, the once steadfast pack and back line now appear reshuffled. Debutants, Scott Helyar and Richard Sumner, infuse fresh blood into the pack, while Aidan Cleland makes a rare appearance in the backline. These alterations set the stage for uncertainty. Will these changes destabilise Romsey’s resolve?

With a roar from the crowd, Matthew Pilbeam signals the start of the contest, and the Pompey defenders surge like lions, intent on claiming their prize – the ball. Their defensive line, a wall of defiance, stands firm, seemingly impenetrable. But Romsey, like warriors pressing forward, step up to the challenge. Wave after wave of attack crashes upon the Pompey lines. For ten minutes, Romsey chips away at the open field, seeking an opening. Then, a foul from Portsmouth – a high tackle – offers Romsey a penalty. Cleland, with calculated precision, kicks for touch, cutting deep into Pompey’s territory.

Romsey set up a maul from the lineout, but Pompey holds them back, like gladiators resisting the charge of an opposing force. But Romsey adapts. The backs are arranged deep and wide, ready to strike. Ioan Elliott secures the ball from the ruck, and in swift succession, it moves from Murrant to Cleland, to Beardsley, who targets the Pompey winger. A timely pass finds Dylan Scott, who charges across the line to score the first victory for Romsey. 5-0. With unshakable focus, Cleland hurls the ball through the posts, converting the try with icy composure. 7-0.

After the reset, Portsmouth rallies and recovers the ball with purpose. They are repelled for a moment, but a quick glance out wide finds their debutant, Joshua Mogaji, who accelerates, evading his pursuers to score in the corner. 7-5. A blow that would rattle many, but not Romsey. They immediately strike back. The backs, like seasoned warriors, manoeuvre the ball with elegance. Alfie Lawrence, ever watchful, intercepts a loose pass, which Jay Hodges scoops up and sprints clear to score another blow to the Pompey forces. 12-5. Once again, Cleland, cool as ever, sends the ball between the posts. 14-5. Despite having little possession, Romsey’s shape remains unyielding, a testament to their discipline.

Romsey begins to rampage forward. Line breaks come in quick succession, the sound of boots thundering against the turf, and Pompey defenders scramble to halt the onslaught. With each pass, the pressure builds, until finally, the walls of Portsmouth begin to crack. Debutant Sumner powers over the line, extending Romsey’s dominance. 19-5. Cleland’s boot is steady once more. 21-5.

An unfortunate injury to a key player forces a brief interruption, but the relentless Romsey side resurges, undeterred. A lineout takes them to the 5-meter ruck, where Murrant and Cleland connect, finding Beardsley running a fanatic charge, walks the ball over the line with minimal resistance. 26-5. Predictably, Cleland converts. 28-5. As the half nears its end, Pompey responds with a last-ditch effort, and a double miss pass sees Mogaji dash in for a second try. 28-10. Pilbeam adds the conversion. 28-12. It’s not the finish Romsey desired, but they head into the break with a commanding lead.
The second half begins with Cleland’s kick, and as if charged by the sun itself, Romsey charges forward, powered by an almost supernatural energy. They recover the ball swiftly, and with precision, they steamroll the Pompey defence. Again, the backs shift to blindside, and Cleland delivers a perfectly timed pass, sending Dylan Scott crashing over the line for his second. 33-12.

Portsmouth finally gains a foothold after several phases, winning a penalty and kicking into touch just off the 5-meter line. A rolling maul ensues, and despite fierce resistance from Romsey, Pompey powers over the line. A missed conversion leaves the score at 33-17. Romsey, however, does not relent. Wave after wave of assault batters the Pompey defence until, at last, Ryan Daly breaks through, slicing through the defence like a blade. 38-17. Murrant, standing tall, adds the conversion. 40-17. To seal the fate of the visitors, Cleland drives home a penalty. 43-17.

As the final whistle blows, Romsey stands victorious, their dominance unquestioned, leaving Portsmouth in the dust of their fallen dreams.
Skipper’s thoughts – I thought we fronted up in defence any gave little positive ball for Pompey to play. The back line run riot and played off our strong set piece.

Coaches thoughts – Team selection was a battle this week with a lot of lads unavailable and I thought this might have been a difficult game but with this back line we were always going to score trys. The pack worked so hard to give them clean ball with a big shout out to PJ, Will Harrison and Rich on debut, as well as Scott on debut stepping up from the colts the second colt to do so this year fingers crossed for a few more.

Tyler Beardsley 8/3/2025

Andover 24 – 14 Romsey

1st Feb – Final Score: Andover 24 – 14 Romsey

 

In an intense encounter, Andover 2nd XV emerged victorious with a 24-14 win over Romsey, after a hard-fought battle that saw both sides display moments of brilliance.

 

The match got off to a flying start as Andover opened the scoring with the first try of the game. However, their conversion attempt was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 5-0. Romsey quickly responded, hitting back with a brilliant try from Ian Milanak. Aiden Cleland was calm under pressure, slotting over the conversion to give Romsey a 7-5 lead. The score remained tight throughout the remainder of the first half, with both teams unable to add to the scoreboard before the break.

 

After the restart, Andover regained the lead with another try, though the conversion was missed, bringing the score to 10-7 in their favor. Romsey’s defense held firm, but Andover was relentless, and a penalty kick opportunity followed, only for the kick to miss the target.

 

Andover continued to dominate as the second half unfolded, crossing the line once again for a try, this time successfully converting it to push the score to 17-7. With momentum on their side, Andover scored yet again, adding a fourth try and a successful conversion to take a commanding 24-7 lead.

 

Romsey refused to back down, and late in the game, Ed Davies powered over for a well-deserved try. Cleland was again reliable with the boot, converting the try to bring the score to 24-14. However, time ran out on Romsey’s comeback, and the final whistle blew with Andover securing the win.

 

In a match full of grit and determination, Andover’s strong second-half performance ultimately proved decisive, with their four tries enough to seal a 24-14 victory. Romsey fought valiantly but couldn’t quite overcome the pressure in the second period.

Romsey’s first game of 2025

For Romsey’s first game of 2025, the promotion chasing side, headed down the road to local rivals Eastleigh. With Romsey prior to kick off sitting in third place with a game in hand on second-place Tottonians. With a bonus point victory, Romsey would move comfortably above Tottonians with a 3-point buffer.

The hosts kicked us off with the ball landing kindly into the bread basket of Romsey hooker Ben Hoad and because of some efficient rucking the ball was made available for Dylan Scott to play a simple pass back to Jim Lamont who picked out a brilliant kick-up to the Eastleigh 22 metre line( however Romsey could not capitalise from the resulting line out.) The horrid conditions for both sides made it difficult for either side to put together some significant phase play and caused the opposition problems due to a number of handling errors and loose passing as the pitch continued to churn up. Nevertheless, following an Eastleigh scrum just short of their own 22, Romsey won a vital penalty courtesy of ever-present flanker Ryan Daly, who couldn’t be missed due to his dashing new scrum cap, securing himself over the ball giving Romsey the platform they had been struggling to gain thus far. The resulting penalty was kicked to the corner through Jim Lamont. The line out was then missiled into the hands of Brad Piper, who with a little bit of help from the rest of the forward pack shunted themselves towards the try line. The driving maul eventually came to a halt less than 5 metres away from the whitewash and with some quick thinking, Romsey scrum-half Dylan Scott determinedly broke through a number of tackles to score the opening try of the contest. Unfortunately on this occasion, the try was unconverted so after 10 minutes the score was 5-0 to Romsey.

Romsey would immediately charge back into the Eastleigh half with a brilliant solo run from fullback Oli Coburn running from his own 22 line up to the Eastleigh 10-metre mark only to be halted by his own two feet tripping him up. This break was then followed up by subsequent powerful carries from prominent ‘strike’ runners such as Hampshire U20 prop Michael Streicher. Although, Eastleigh stood strong defensively and made a few line breaks eventually being awarded a penalty around 40 metres out in which they attempted to go for the posts( an attempt which ended up being well short). The following 20 minutes after the first try were pretty scrappy from both sides with some glimpses of quality. This was until a bruising line break was made by Romsey’s tight head prop from across the pond, Ian Milanak, who was eventually tackled due to some illegal play from Eastleigh in the ruck for which a penalty was awarded. No sooner was the penalty awarded was it quickly taken again by Dylan Scott who charged at the hosts who had not retreated 10 metres as required which therefore, resulted in yet another penalty. This one was far closer to the posts however on this was not converted and couldn’t extend Romsey’s lead by 3.

Moments later after some lovely interplay between Brad Piper and Ryan Daly, the latter popped the ball out to Oli Coburn who made yet another lung-busting run taking on all the oncoming Eastleigh players then only to be stopped by an illegal high tackle from one of the opposition players. The referee deemed that a piece of illegal play had halted the Romsey fullback’s progress to the tryline and therefore awarded a penalty try to Romsey and as customary with a penalty try along came a yellow card for the guilty Eastleigh forward.

The theme of the match was marauding runs from kick-off and following the penalty try Brad Hughes followed suit charging through multiple challenges he ran roughly 30 metres before his basketball-style pass couldn’t find his second-row partner Ollie Glanville and instead was dived on and gathered by Eastleigh however Glanville was in position to strip them of possession and win an important penalty deep inside the Eastleigh half.

This then led to a number of phases allowing the ball to spread wide to the likes of Ben Powell and Josh Cleife. After some dogged defending from the hosts, it was going to take something special to break through and fly half Jim Lamont delivered a real moment of quality after he nonchalantly dinked a ball over the top looking for an oncoming runner in blue and gold. There could not have been a more popular try scorer on the day than the birthday boy Brad Piper who timed his run to perfection to collect Lamont’s kick untouched and dive over the line. This try was converted to make the score 19-0 to Romsey which led the visitors nicely into the half-time interval.

At half time, captain Harrison Scott and his vice captains Ollie Soundy and Jim Lamont would be very pleased with the performance so far given the terrible playing conditions and the only goal for the second half would be to grab that bonus point victory and keep Eastleigh quiet.

The second half began with Eastleigh receiving the restart from Lamont but after some brilliant line speed led by Tyler Beardsley forced a fumbled pass from Eastleigh which was capitalised on by the skipper Harrison Scott, which rewarded Romsey a penalty straight in front of the posts which Jim Lamont dispatched comfortably to make the score now 22-0 to the blue and gold.

Eastleigh responded to being set back further on the scoreboard with a couple of decent phases the first real threat to the Romsey try line but after some brilliant defence on our own line by Brad Hughes and Piper the home side were pinned back. Romsey even managed to reverse an attacking scrum in our own 22 thanks to the firepower and fresh legs from the bench of Lewis Cartledge and Will Harrison which led to a relieving clearance kick from Lamont.

Despite this, the Eastleigh pressure continued to mount and due to a lack of concentration defensively Eastleigh had a 3 on 1 on the outside and finally made the pressure tell with some good hands allowing them to help themselves to a consolation try which was swiftly converted to make the score 7-22 to Romsey.

Romsey were keen to respond positively to Eastleigh’s try and did so emphatically after yet another huge win against the head in the scrum in the Eastleigh 22 after a dozen phases of pick and go. Jim Lamont eventually crashed over straight under the posts and slotted the extra two points to bring the score back up to a healthy 29-7 securing a crucial bonus point in the bid for promotion come the end of the season.

Romsey could smell blood now, and after a loose pass by one of the Eastleigh forwards outside centre, Tyler Beardsley improvised as the ball hit the mud bath of a pitch and hacked the ball through brilliantly chasing the ball, determined to get his name on the score sheet. Beardsley collided with an opposition player but due to some excellent support play from substitute Jay Hodges he scampered onto the ball and dotted down to surely seal victory for Romsey. Although the delirium of a fantastic breakaway try didn’t last long the referee pulled the play back as he deemed there was a knock-on by a Romsey player in the build-up.

Despite this, all was not lost as Romsey continued to pry away at the Eastleigh line. Ben Powell slightly overcooked a grubber kick through the defensive line and, therefore, handed Eastleigh a 22-metre drop out but this kick was poorly chased by the home side and landed into the hands of a grateful Oli Coburn who charged through three tackles using his brute force to break through and carved his way under the posts for a fantastic solo try which furthered Romsey’s lead 34-7 and was again converted by Lamont so 36-7 Romsey lead as we enter the final 10 minutes.

The pressure continued from Romsey as the ball was well stolen deep in the opposition half by Ollie Glanville and a neat kick through saw Romsey captain Harrison Scott crash over for yet another try for Romsey which again was converted which meant the score now stood at 43-7 to Romsey. The Romsey side stuck together for the final flurry of Eastleigh pressure and ran out comfortable winners in a real team performance with the score ending 43-7 to Romsey.

Captains comments:
“I thought the squad showed some real grit in an easy banana skin game. It shows the growth of this club as we continue to grow and push up the league table.”

Coaches thoughts –
“The lads played a very patient game today on a very muddy pitch, and scoring 43 points is a huge achievement. Eastleigh is a tough place to come and get a result.
The selection was difficult this week due to a lot of people putting their hands up and long may it continue. I thought Ben Hoad, Ryan Daly and Brad Piper had outstanding games today.”

 

Romsey and Christchurch combine for the 12 tries of Christmas in a festive feast of flowing rugby

Romsey 50 Christchurch 38

A good size crew was treated to a Xmas feast of rugby between Romsey and Christchurch in a friendly that was played in place of the league match that had been awarded to Romsey following several player departures from the visitors who were bolstered by some guest stars from the home side.

A fumbled kick-off allowed Alex Watts to scorch into the Romsey 22 but in the ensuing attack a dropped ball permitted Ollie Soundy to pick up and fed Darran Hall and this gave the home side a solid base from which to clear and then counter attack which resulted in them being held up over the line. From the drop out some deft hands from the coach allowed the captain to burst forwards but he had the ball pinched by the Scrooge in the opposition back row, a pinching technique perfected on mince pies judging from his waistline, but some clever link play from Dylan Scott permitted Ioan Elliott to wriggle over for the first try of the afternoon.

More slick handling from the home side moved the ball wide to PJ Boden who thundering surge down the side line was foiled by a high tackle and from the lineout, Romsey’s own version of Tiny Tim, Jack Murrant slipped over the line for the first of his 5 tries. A wayward clearance was returned with interest by Brad Piper and slick handling from Nat Greathead allowed the younger Scott to dive over in the corner to make the score 17-0.

After an untidy lineout head coach Jason Berry manhandled Ebenezer Creal into a marginally offside position but the wily veteran was able to just get his feet back on side to deliver a thunderous tackle on the coach, that the crowd compared to 2 bull elephant seal colliding, with the older man stripping the ball away but also firing up the coach playing his first game in 6 years. Some free flowing rugby from the visitors saw them go the length of the pitch to cut the lead before a mistake at a scrum allowed Murrant to bag converted try number 2 to make it 24-7.

A mistake at the kick-off caused Romsey to concede a penalty that Scrooge took quickly and fed Oli Glanville who weaved his way up to the 5m line before a smooth pass from Josh Cleif gave the supporting player space to dive over to make it 24-12. From the restart the visitors again stretched the home side and when a penalty was contested an extra 10m were granted giving the visitors a lineout 5m away. From this they tried a sneaky front peel but were thwarted by the potent Brad Hughes which resulted in a scrum from which Harrison Scott redeemed himself by winning a turnover penalty which Romsey cleared.

A scrappy 10 minutes of error strewn play brought the half to an end with crowd wondering if shopping in West Quay might have been a better decision.

Those who had chosen to watch the rugby were delighted as there then followed some excellent attacking rugby. Christchurch started the second half with a bang scoring a try almost straight from the restart which seemed to wake Romsey up. Harrison Scott, leading by example, turned over his opponent and the ball was moved wide to Tyler Beardsley who’s delicate kick through caused consternation in the defence and the scuffed clearance kick was picked up by Elliott who weaved through to score to make it 31-19 with a cheeky drop goal conversion.

With Hughes commanding the air, the ball went from Scott to Murrant who raced over from 50m to extend the lead. Christchurch came back again but were denied a try when they were deemed to have used the referee as a blocker but from the scrum the shortest number 8 ever to play at Romsey moved the ball down the blindside and a try was scored wide out to reduce the lead.

A dropped ball at the kick-off allowed Murrant to pick it up and jink through to make it 43-24 to the home side. At the next kick-off Elliott Johnson rose 3cm off the ground to claim the catch but was turned over and spotting a large crack Dylan Scott burst through it to become possibly the first player to score for and against Romsey in the same game.

The crowd were now in ecstasy having seen 5 tries in 10 minutes of play, defence coaches were looking for a darkened room to lie down in.

From a penalty Brad Piper raced for the try line only to be tackled by Jay “glass shoulders” Hodges, who repeated the trick and turned the ball over and it was moved to the far side of the pitch. Johnson found himself in the middle of the park having a quiet breather when suddenly the ball appeared in his arms and he looked up. To his terror he saw 60 meters of open space in front of him, 1 man to beat, 65 year old club president John Gray outside him in support and took the sensible option and hoofed the ball into touch rather than expend any more energy. Following an injury break Murrant chipped ahead for his 5th try to extend the lead.

After a period of cagey play, Soundy spotted a stray mince pie and there was no way he was going to be denied it bouncing Murrant back several meters before offloading to a Christchurch player who scored wide out. This was improved by one of the best conversions since the one on the way to Damascus.

A storming bu

Romsey and Christchurch combine for the 12 tries of Christmas in a festive feast of flowing rugby

Romsey 50 Christchurch 38

A good size crow was treated to a Xmas feast of rugby between Romsey and Christchurch in a friendly that was played in place of the league match that had been awarded to Romsey following several player departures from the visitors who were bolstered by some guest stars from the home side.

A fumbled kick-off allowed Alex Watts to scorch into the Romsey 22 but in the ensuing attack a dropped ball permitted Ollie Soundy to pick up and fed Darran Hall and this gave the home side a solid base from which to clear and then counter attack which resulted in them being held up over the line. From the drop out some deft hands from the coach allowed the captain to burst forwards but he had the ball pinched by the Scrooge in the opposition back row, a pinching technique perfected on mince pies judging from his waistline, but some clever link play from Dylan Scott permitted Ioan Elliott to wriggle over for the first try of the afternoon.

More slick handling from the home side moved the ball wide to PJ Boden who thundering surge down the side line was foiled by a high tackle and from the lineout, Romsey’s own version of Tiny Tim, Jack Murrant slipped over the line for the first of his 5 tries. A wayward clearance was returned with interest by Brad Piper and slick handling from Nat Greathead allowed the younger Scott to dive over in the corner to make the score 17-0.

After an untidy lineout head coach Jason Berry manhandled Ebenezer Creal into a marginally offside position but the wily veteran was able to just get his feet back on side to deliver a thunderous tackle on the coach, that the crowd compared to 2 bull elephant seal colliding, with the older man stripping the ball away but also firing up the coach playing his first game in 6 years. Some free flowing rugby from the visitors saw them go the length of the pitch to cut the lead before a mistake at a scrum allowed Murrant to bag converted try number 2 to make it 24-7.

A mistake at the kick-off caused Romsey to concede a penalty that Scrooge took quickly and fed Oli Glanville who weaved his way up to the 5m line before a smooth pass from Josh Cleif gave the supporting player space to dive over to make it 24-12. From the restart the visitors again stretched the home side and when a penalty was contested an extra 10m were granted giving the visitors a lineout 5m away. From this they tried a sneaky front peel but were thwarted by the potent Brad Hughes which resulted in a scrum from which Harrison Scott redeemed himself by winning a turnover penalty which Romsey cleared.

A scrappy 10 minutes of error strewn play brought the half to an end with crowd wondering if shopping in West Quay might have been a better decision.

Those who had chosen to watch the rugby were delighted as there then followed some excellent attacking rugby. Christchurch started the second half with a bang scoring a try almost straight from the restart which seemed to wake Romsey up. Harrison Scott, leading by example, turned over his opponent and the ball was moved wide to Tyler Beardsley who’s delicate kick through caused consternation in the defence and the scuffed clearance kick was picked up by Elliott who weaved through to score to make it 31-19 with a cheeky drop goal conversion.

With Hughes commanding the air, the ball went from Scott to Murrant who raced over from 50m to extend the lead. Christchurch came back again but were denied a try when they were deemed to have used the referee as a blocker but from the scrum the shortest number 8 ever to play at Romsey moved the ball down the blindside and a try was scored wide out to reduce the lead.

A dropped ball at the kick-off allowed Murrant to pick it up and jink through to make it 43-24 to the home side. At the next kick-off Elliott Johnson rose 3cm off the ground to claim the catch but was turned over and spotting a large crack Dylan Scott burst through it to become possibly the first player to score for and against Romsey in the same game.

The crowd were now in ecstasy having seen 5 tries in 10 minutes of play, defence coaches were looking for a darkened room to lie down in.

From a penalty Brad Piper raced for the try line only to be tackled by Jay “glass shoulders” Hodges, who repeated the trick and turned the ball over and it was moved to the far side of the pitch. Johnson found himself in the middle of the park having a quiet breather when suddenly the ball appeared in his arms and he looked up. To his terror he saw 60 meters of open space in front of him, 1 man to beat, 65 year old club president John Gray outside him in support and took the sensible option and hoofed the ball into touch rather than expend any more energy. Following an injury break Murrant chipped ahead for his 5th try to extend the lead.

After a period of cagey play, Soundy spotted a stray mince pie and there was no way he was going to be denied it bouncing Murrant back several meters before offloading to a Christchurch player who scored wide out. This was improved by one of the best conversions since the one on the way to Damascus.

A storming burst by Lewis “I only play for Roms” Cartledge gave Romsey a platform in the visitors 22 but a floaty pass gave Brad Piper the chance to rearrange Jay Hodges’ ribs but the situation was rescued by Will Harrison who gained ground in an attempt to seal the win but was turned over by a short number 8 and an old man allowing Christchurch to attack again. In this attack their winger fell awkwardly and with the sun vanishing and players tiring it was agreed to end the match a few minutes early.

Both captain Harrison Scott and coach Jason Berry agreed that “it was good to help Christchurch out, they came up here with 9 and we had some spares this week so it was a perfect opportunity to get the boys who are not playing regularly some game time”.

Romsey sit in 2nd place in Counties 3 Hampshire at Christmas and return to league action on 11/1/25 away at Eastleigh with senior rugby return to Ganger Farm a week later when Ventnor travel over.

Happy Christmas.

rst by Lewis “I only play for Roms” Cartledge gave Romsey a platform in the visitors 22 but a floaty pass gave Brad Piper the chance to rearrange Jay Hodges’ ribs but the situation was rescued by Will Harrison who gained ground in an attempt to seal the win but was turned over by a short number 8 and an old man allowing Christchurch to attack again. In this attack their winger fell awkwardly and with the sun vanishing and players tiring it was agreed to end the match a few minutes early.

Both captain Harrison Scott and coach Jason Berry agreed that “it was good to help Christchurch out, they came up here with 9 and we had some spares this week so it was a perfect opportunity to get the boys who are not playing regularly some game time”.

Romsey sit in 2nd place in Counties 3 Hampshire at Christmas and return to league action on 11/1/25 away at Eastleigh with senior rugby return to Ganger Farm a week later when Ventnor travel over.

Happy Christmas.

Match Report – December 7th

Today marked the halfway point of the season, and it brought the biggest clash so far.

While the majority of games were postponed, Romsey’s fixture was never in doubt, thanks to the cleverly designed drainage on our team pitches. But you’re not here to read about ground gradients and layering, are you? Instead, let me bring you up to speed on Romsey’s season so far.

Romsey sits in 3rd place, just three points behind Tottonians in 2nd. A bonus-point win would see Romsey secure 2nd spot heading into the new year with just one game left. Can we do it? Batter down the hatches—here we go!

—

### **First Half**

With the wind at their backs, Romsey made their intentions clear early, executing a 50/22 to gain field position. Ben Hoad capitalized by touching down in the corner. **5-0** #COYR

Play continued with strong ball carrying from both sides. Tottonians responded with a well-executed blindside move, scoring their first points. **5-7**

Undeterred, Oli Coburn chased down the kick off, delivering a dominant hit that disrupted the ruck. Ian Milinak, in a powerful display, ran in from 35 meters out. Not bad for a prop, eh? **12-7** #COYR

Tottonians applied pressure with multiple phases, maintaining possession for an extended period. However, Romsey’s resilient defence forced their winger into touch near halfway.

From the ensuing lineout, Romsey’s speedy prop broke through for another 35-meter gain. As Tottonians scrambled defensively, a sleek move by the backs saw Oli Coburn crash over the line. **17-7** #COYR

Sensing a bonus-point try, Romsey continued to defend and carry the ball with vigour. A driving maul from a lineout in the opposition 22 forced Tottonians to concede again. **24-7** #COYR

Tottonians replied swiftly, moving the ball through the hands to score and remind Romsey of their attacking potential. **24-14**

After regrouping, Romsey regained control, pinning Tottonians in their 22. From a 5-meter scrum, skipper Harrison Scott executed a clever dummy to cross the try line. **31-14** at halftime.

—

### **Second Half**

The next 40 minutes would be tough, playing into the wind. Coach and captain instructed the team to keep things tight and maintain discipline.

Romsey started the half strong, with Lewis Cartledge bundling over after a few tight phases near the Tottonians’ try line. New boots, new energy—well done, Lewis! **38-14** #COYR

As expected, Tottonians used the wind to pin Romsey in their half and played expansively, scoring a try around the outside. **38-21**

Both teams battled fiercely in the final 20 minutes. A breakthrough came when Romsey’s number 6, PJ, committed two defenders and offloaded to Jim Lamont, who powered over from 20 meters out. **43-21** #COYR

The final minutes saw relentless defence from Romsey, pinned in their half. Tottonians eventually secured a bonus-point try in the dying moments. Final score: **43-26**

—

Captain’s Comments

Romsey’s dominant performance secured a well-earned victory, moving them into 2nd place. Discipline, defense, and teamwork were key to the win.

The game was physical and was expertly managed by our first aid, Cerrie Gray, whose dedication ensured the players’ welfare throughout the match.

—

Coach’s Comments

“Today, the team delivered their most complete performance against a strong Totton Twos side. For the majority of the game, we were dominant, which is a testament to the players’ dedication to training and their willingness to work hard for one another. Well done, lads!”

Onward to the next challenge!

#COYR

Match Report Romsey Vs Andover 26/10/2024

Coming off the back of a very successful trip over to Ventnor last week, Romsey
looked to build on that performance this week when they welcomed Andover 2s to
Ganger Farm. Romsey welcomed back Brad Piper and Mathew Reid, who played
their first games for the club this season, into the second row while Will Harrison
made his first start for the club. Having come off second best to Andover both times
the teams met last season Romsey knew it would be a tough, physical game.
The match started with Romsey coming out the block quickly earning a penalty
inside the first 2 minutes of the game a couple metres infront of the Andover 10
metre line. Jim Lamont returning to the 10 shirt comfortably slotted the penalty to
give Romsey the early lead. After the restart another Andover penalty allowed
Romsey to put the pressure on with a good kick to the edge of the Andover 22. A
Lineout which was almost flawless the week before went astray letting the pressure
off. Over the next 10 minutes, Andover grew into the game with a couple of strong
carries from their forwards. But a moment of illdiscipline from Andover gave Lamont
another chance to increase the lead which he took with a great kick to put Romsey
6-0 up.

After the restart Andover found their feet and pinned Romsey back deep into their 22
but some strong defence kept them out until the 34th minute of the game where after
20 phase’s Andover found a way through to put themselves into a one point lead.
After a brutal half of play, in which Romsey found themselves without the ball for a lot
of it, Andover managed to get another score just before halftime. To pull a little in
front but it was a very even half of play.

Going into the second half Romsey looked to continue the good defensive work and
try to get the ball into their hands a little bit more and play with the ablility they
showed in the game the week prior. The new centre partnership of Ed Davies and
Tyler Beardsley made ground every time they got the ball but unfortunately Andover
were very quick to the breakdowns which meant Romsey couldn’t take advantage.
Some excellent lineout defense by Andover gave them the upper hand for the rest of
the game didn’t allow Romsey to use what was their biggest advantage from the
week before. Andover continued to batter Romsey with their forwards for the rest of
the game earning themselves the first score of the second half to take their lead to
6-21. Romsey kept this scoreline until the 70th minute where injuries and the brutality
of defending for most of the game took its toll and in the last 10 minutes Andover
where able to add a couple to tries to inflate the score to 6-33.

After a brutal first 6 weeks of the season Romsey go into the second rest week 4th in
the table with 2 wins 2 draws and the single loss. Romsey are back in action with an
away trip to Overton on the 9th of November.

Coaches Comment:
“The lads defended well against a much bigger pack with a simple game plan of use
the big lads to punch wholes, the Romsey lads stood up to this for 70 mins where the
score was 6-21 unfortunately injuries took a toll. The lads showed great
determination and there’s plenty to come from this group I have no doubt.” Jason
Berry Head Coach.

Captains Comment:
“I thought our first half effort really showed this team can compete with any team in
this league. Unfortunately injuries and unavailability hurt us today. We will take this
first loss and build from it for Overton in 2 weeks time.”

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VP Lunch Dates – Book Now

Confirmed VP Lunch Dates

7th December 2024

Romsey v Tottonians

Details TBC

8th March 2025

Romsey v Overton

Details TBC

Please email president@romseyrugby.club to confirm your attendance or book here.

The Cocky Anchor minibus will be running to and from Romsey town centre to the club. Times TBC

Romsey RFC Continues Unbeaten Run with Victory Over Eastleigh 2

 by Tim Clayton

Romsey RFC extended their impressive unbeaten streak on Saturday, October 12th, with a hard-fought victory over Eastleigh 2s RFC at Ganger Farm Sports Park. The 3pm kickoff saw Romsey dominate the match from start to finish, securing a decisive 15-5 win.

Shortly after the match Jay Hodges was forced off early with an injury after a massive midfield tackle to put a halt to an Eastleigh offence, replaced by Alex Watts. However, Romsey’s pack quickly adjusted to the change and continued to dominate the game. Their powerful scrum and strong carries provided a solid platform for the backs to attack.

Jim Lamont was instrumental in Romsey’s victory, contributing valuable penalty points throughout the match. Unfortunately, Ian Milanak was sidelined due to injury, but the Romsey team remained focused and determined.

The Romsey backs also showcased their attacking prowess, with Tyler Beardsley and Dylan Scott making impressive breaks. Their quick movements and creative play led to two decisive tries: Jim Lamont crossed the line for his second score of the match, while PJ Fouch also found the try zone.

Eastleigh managed to score one unconverted try in the match, but Romsey’s defence held firm to secure the victory. The win has propelled Romsey to fourth place in the league with 9 points, and they are now firmly positioned as a strong contender for promotion.

Overall, Romsey’s performance against Eastleigh was impressive. Their dominance in both the forwards and backs showcased their well-rounded team and their ability to adapt to different challenges. The victory further solidified Romsey’s position as a force to be reckoned with in the league.

Captains Comment –

“The boys fronted up well and adapted as the game went on, it’s great to see new faces blooding in and out systems working out on the pitch”

Harrison Scott

Coaches thoughts –

“Eastleigh came and threw everything they had at us and had some dangerous players especially the back three.

The Romsey lads stuck to the system really well and the lineout worked really well again this week.

Plenty to work on but loads of positives to take away from what I would say was our best performance this season.”  Jason Berry

Match Report: Romsey 27-27 Southampton

*Match Report: Romsey 27-27 Southampton**
*Saturday 21st September 2024, 3pm kick-off, Ganger Park*Romsey’s Senior Men’s team kicked off their season with a thrilling 27-27 draw against Southampton, our closest rivals, in what turned out to be a rollercoaster of a match at Ganger Park. Both teams walked away with three points from this opening encounter, sharing the spoils in a game full of drama, quality, and a bit of pre-season rust.
**The Game**
The weather was perfect for rugby, but it was Southampton who started the brighter, buoyed by their recent promotion. The first few scrums were, well, a bit of a nightmare for Romsey fans, with old mates Marcus Coffin and Alex Hill running the show for Southampton. After a tough opening, Romsey’s pack settled, but the teams traded tries like heavyweight boxers throwing jabs.Romsey’s first try came from **Jim Lamont**, who spotted a gap in Southampton’s defence after a sharp pass from **Ioan Elliott**, Romsey’s lively scrum-half. Elliott kept the tempo high all day, putting his forwards in the right spots, and **Ben Hoad** was a pillar of strength in the scrums. **Michael Streicher** worked tirelessly at loosehead, ensuring Romsey stayed competitive in the set-piece. 

Southampton hit back with two quick tries, but Romsey regrouped. A powerful midfield run from **Ollie Soundy**, one of Romsey’s vice-captains, led to Romsey’s second try. Soundy blasted through the Southampton defence after some slick handling by **Ed Davies** and **Jay Hodges**, with Soundy himself dotting down under the posts. His composure in the centre was a constant headache for Southampton.

The second half saw Romsey lift their intensity. **Harrison Scott**, captain fantastic, led by example, dominating in the lineout and putting in key tackles. Meanwhile, his younger brother **Dylan Scott** was dynamic from full-back, fielding kicks with precision and turning defence into attack with his elusive running.

Romsey’s third try was a moment of brilliance. **Ed Davies** showcased his deceptive pace and agility, slicing through Southampton’s defensive line to touch down. Davies was a constant threat, linking well with the backs and proving difficult to contain.

As the game entered its final quarter, **Tyler Beardsley** and **Brad Hughes** stepped up in the engine room, putting in the hard yards, while **Dan Murrant** was a menace at the breakdown, winning turnovers at key moments. **Ryan Daly** seemed to be everywhere (except maybe onside), and deservedly won Man of the Match for his relentless work rate.

With Romsey trailing by five points in the dying minutes, it was **Jim Lamont** who once again delivered, scoring Romsey’s fourth and final try after a series of relentless phases from the forwards. **Will Davies** made the initial break. Lamont, always calm under pressure, darted through a gap to tie the game. He had two difficult kicks to win it at the death, but neither quite found the target.

Southampton, to their credit, came close to snatching the win in the final moments, but Romsey’s defence, marshalled by **Elliott Johnson**, held firm. Impact players **Alfie Lawrence**, **Pierce Fouch**, and **Lewis Cartledge** added energy and fresh legs when called upon, and all contributed to a strong finish.

The referee deserves special mention for his control of the game, allowing the match to flow and keeping both teams disciplined in a fiercely competitive contest.

**Looking Ahead**
With this promising start, both Romsey and Southampton will look to build on their performances. It’s always nice to catch up with our old rivals, even if we’d rather Coffin and Hill didn’t dominate the scrum quite so much! Under new skipper Harrison Scott and head coach Jason Berry, this Romsey side has plenty to offer. Here’s to a long season of success, hard work, and hopefully fewer injuries next time out!

Line up:
1. michael streicher
2. Ben Hoad
3. Elliott “EJ” Johnson
4. Tyler Beardsley
5. Brad Hughes
6. Dan Murrant
7. Ryan Daly (Who won man of the match, presumably for being offside the entire day)
8. Harrison Scott (C)
9. Ioan Elliott
10. Jim Lamont (VC)
11. Jay Hodges
12. Ollie Soundy (VC)
13. Ed Davies
14. Will Davies
15. Dylan Scott

Substitutes/impact players
16. Alfie Lawrence
17. Lewis Cartledge
18. Pierce Fouch