Es hit top form to banish Blues

Ellingham & Ringwood 30pts, Old Blues 0

ELLINGHAM & Ringwood consolidated their strong position in London & SW Division 3 with an exceptional performance against London side Old Blues in front of a large crowd.

Ellingham dominated from the first whistle with perhaps the most tenacious display of defence seen in recent seasons. Early pressure from lock forwards Charles Levy and Duncan Soden led to the New Forest side getting their first points through a penalty kicked by John Firkin.

In the 25th minute, following an infringement at a line-out, Es captain Ross Whale took a quick tap penalty, broke up the flank and chipped the ball on. The Old Blues full-back gathered but gave a loose pass, which winger Dan Stewart intercepted and beat his man and score under the posts. Firkin kicked the conversion to make it 10-0 at half-time.

The second-half saw the home side step up a gear, none more so than man of the match Olly Grant, who put in some monstrous hits and dominated the contact area. This inspired the rest of the pack. The ball was moved wide with Andy Turner steaming through on one of his signature runs. From a quick ruck the ball was fed to Andy Fulker who scored a great individual try.

The next try came when hooker David Budd used his pace to break away and feed full-back Charlie Cockram who, after a quick interchange of passes, scored in his first game back after five months out with an injury.

Smelling blood Ellingham sought out the bonus point. Robbie Mitchell was next on the score sheet. His try came from more good work by the pack. The final hammer blow came moments later as Ellingham worked down one side and then rewound to exploit the overlap they had created. Duncan Sodden crashed over to cap off a fine performance.

Coach Phil Osman said: "This is perhaps the most satisfying win since my time here at the club. The lads put in a great performance. I can't help but feel very positive about the rest of the season."