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Today’s match was preceded by the Past Player’s lunch with over 90 people attending, and memories of games played long ago which meant that many an exaggeration was made in the telling. It was also a milestone for Geoff the ref, as this was his 1000th game since he started refereeing. His very first game was refereeing Portsmouth which was why he had asked to do this match. It was also the occasion when the Reilly family, who were present, presented a cup to the Club in memory of Ken Reilly who sadly passed away in December, last year. The cup is called the Ken Reilly Kicking Cup and will be presented to the player who wins the kicking competition which will be held shortly. The winner will be on the Honours board recently put up above the bar in Ken’s memory. Gosport got the game underway kicking into a…

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Portsmouth travelled to Bognor for this penultimate fixture for this League. Their problems started during the warm up when influential scrum half George Wright had to drop out of the fixture due to a nasty injury to his knee. His place was taken by Lee Chandler, who was on the bench, expecting only to be on the pitch for about 20 minutes. As it was he stayed on for 75 minutes until a back problem forced him off. Up until then he had filled in very capably. Bognor kicked off and Portsmouth took play back into the Bognor half and unfortunately lost control of the ball but Bognor were then penalised for lying on the ball. Portsmouth had a scoring chance with a drive for the line but they were unable to cross. Then from a kick by Bognor Portsmouth managed to charge the ball down and quick thinking by…

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Portsmouth travelled to Bournemouth without a few players from their last outing including their captain Aaron Beesley. However, such is the strength of the squad now that there was barely and difference in the performance and indeed the outcome of the match. Bournemouth kicked off on a dry, sunny day with just a slight breeze blowing across the pitch. Portsmouth were soon on the attack as they worked the ball upfield, having defended well in the opening minutes. Eventually Portsmouth were awarded a lineout about 7 metres from the try line. A good catch and drive saw them shove the opposition pack backwards and suddenly No. 6 Liam Glazebrook broke from the maul with the ball and dived over for the opening try after about 10 minutes. Hywell Gronow obliged with the conversion and they led 0-7. From the restart Portsmouth were soon on the attack again and with Bournemouth…

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This was Portsmouth’s first game since 18th January given that we should have played Guernsey on 1st February but they had ‘problems with their pitch’ so the game is being re-arranged. Portsmouth were more than eager to get the game underway and were soon on the score sheet with Bryn Rainford crossing for the first try on 4 minutes. The conversion missed with the lead 5-0. This seemed to open the floodgates and before we knew it Aaron Beesley, Sam Foster and Connor Charlton had all added tries to give us a bonus point on 18 minutes. None of the tries where converted giving us a 20-0 lead. 10 minutes later Liam Avis scored followed by his brother Oli. There was 1 conversion by Matt Higgins taking the lead to 32-0. 7 minutes later Oli Avis scored his second taking the score to 37-0. In the closing stages of the…

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On a bitterly cold day at Rugby Camp, Havant kicked off and took the game straight back to Havant. Eventually a penalty against Havant gave Portsmouth the first scrum of the afternoon. and a kick upfield gave Havant the first line out. From that lineout they set up a good move and their winger scored in the corner with about 7 minutes gone. The conversion missed and they led 0-5. Following the restart Portsmouth stole a Havant lineout which resulted in a penalty to Portsmouth but Matt Pilbeam’s kick went wide. Portsmouth were putting pressure on Havant and as they tried to move the ball upfield a wayward pass by Havant went straight into touch giving Portsmouth a lineout about 6 or 7 metres from the try line, A good catch and drive saw Portsmouth drive for the line and Liam Glazebrook broke off to score. Pilbeam’s kick was on…

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Portsmouth travelled the fairly short distance to Trojans for the return fixture. The weather was sunny with very little wind, a contrast to recent weeks.The pitch was very slippery on the top surface but was better a bit deeper down. Matt Higgins, playing 10 today, got the match underway and Portsmouth responded well. They pressed the Trojans line but could not quite get across the line. Trojans were under pressure which forced a number of penalties and Portsmouth took advantage to get on the score board after about 15 minutes giving them a 0-3 lead. Shortly after the restart skipper Aaron Beesley made a good break and passed to ball to a supporting back. Then threes really came to life with a very good handling move which went deep into the Trojans 22. Eventually Matt Higgins took the final pass and ran through to score close to the posts. He…

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It was a bitterly cold windy day, the only good thing about it was the rain held off for the duration of the match. Basingstoke got the game underway and Portsmouth set up a number of forward drives but a knock on gave ‘Stoke a scrum. they set up a good attack and a well judged kick across field found their winger who crossed out wide. The conversion missed and they took a 0-5 lead with about a couple of minutes gone. A good attacking move came to nothing when a Portsmouth player who got tap tacked then got penalised for crawling with the ball in hand. Portsmouth then set up a series of drives through the forwards which eventually resulted in their first try by Ant Fooks. The conversion missed and the scores were now level at 5 a’piece after 15 minutes. Portsmouth pressed hard but just couldn’t get…

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The day was started with an impressive Christmas lunch, provided as usual by Club Chef Jimmy Martin. This was also the last game before the Christmas break when we return on Saturday 4th January when the 1’s are away to Basingstoke. It was a very windy day with the wind going from West to East, although it was cold at least the rain held off. Portsmouth won the toss and elected to play with the wind in the hope that by the second half it had been forecast to decrease in strength.From the start Portsmouth pressed the Sandown try line, keeping play in their half. Penalties against Portsmouth saw Sandown kicking to touch but into the wind they were unable to make much headway. A penalty against Sandown saw Jas Solanki taking a kick at goal from wide out and the kick went in off the post giving Portsmouth a…

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A changed side from last week travelled to Ellingham & Ringwood on a sunny day.  What a change from last week’s weather! Portsmouth got the game underway and were soon under pressure but some good defensive work kept E/R at bay. Although Portsmouth managed to get into the Ellingham half they soon found themselves defending their line again. A 5 metre lineout saw Ellingham set up a good catch and drive and although they crossed the line somehow Portsmouth managed to get under the ball carrier thus denying them a score.  A penalty against Portsmouth for not releasing after a tackle gave Ellingham a kick at goal from almost in front of the posts. The kick was successful and they took a 3-0  lead on 14 minutes.  More good defensive work by Portsmouth kept Ellingham at bay but another penalty for going over the top gave Ellingham a chance to increase…

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Portsmouth travelled a shortish distance along the M27 to Eastleigh wondering a bit what the weather was going to do. With the threat of Storm Bert coming in together with gale force winds and heavy rain it was all a bit daunting. As it turned out it was a much quieter spell that greeted them on the pitch. The wind had dropped and the rain had virtually stopped and at least it was rather mild for a change. Portsmouth got the game underway playing with the wind slightly behind them. They soon had Eastleigh defending their line as the visitors closed in on the try line. With the pitch already wet and muddy, handling was a bit tricky and the first scoring chance went begging when the ball went loose. Eastleigh then set up their first real attack but the backs were pinged for crossing, giving Portsmouth a chance to…

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