Ventnor Narrowly Beaten 27–24 At Overton In Hard-Fought Away Clash

Ventnor Rugby Club were edged out 27–24 by Overton in a tightly contested match, despite a spirited performance from a depleted Islanders side.

Playing in difficult underfoot conditions, Ventnor opened the scoring when Riley Lloyd powered over early on, with Josh Ford converting.

Overton responded with an unconverted try, before Alec Bulpitt crossed from 30 metres out to restore Ventnor’s advantage, again converted by Ford.

Late first-half scores from the hosts — including a penalty and a maul try — left Ventnor trailing narrowly at the break, 14–13.

Ventnor came out strongly after half-time, with Jewy Jones crashing over from close range to make it 19–13.

However, Overton replied with a converted maul try to regain the lead.

The Islanders hit back through Harvey Wheeler, who finished well in the corner following strong work from George Collett and debutant Pat Banks, putting Ventnor back in front at 24–20.

But Overton had the final say, scoring a converted try late on to seal a 27–24 victory.

Despite the disappointment, there were plenty of positives for Ventnor, including an outstanding Man of the Match display from Cody Hayman and an impressive debut from 18-year-old Pat Banks.

The two bonus points earned mean Ventnor extend their lead over Tottonians to four points.

Ventnor’s first team travel to Winchester 3rds next weekend, while the seconds face Portsmouth 3rds away.