Starting their home campaign Portsmouth quickly found themselves on the wrong end of a try, the visitors ran the kick off back at the hosts then charged down the right wing for a try in the corner after just two minutes. Ellingham were fired up and ran hard at the Pompey defenders, and five minutes later the referee had enough of Portsmouth being continually offside at the ruck, the resulting penalty in front of the posts put the visitors into an 8-0 lead.
Portsmouth were having to defend well without getting their hands on the ball in the first half, but a brief spell of pressure resulted in a penalty turnover for not releasing the ball. Ellingham & Ringwood continued to run at the hosts and on 19 minutes a further penalty put them 11 points ahead.
In the latter stages of the first half Portsmouth found themselves with more ball and storming runs from skipper Beasley and Anthony Fooks set up some good phases. Pompeys best chance came from a scrum on the right on halway, Beasley picked up at the base and went blindside, passing to wing Connor Chalton who was clean through but spilt the pass. From the resulting scrum the impressive Liam Glazebrook at flanker wrestled the ball from the visitors scrum-half and cantered down the right wing for a try in the corner going in 5 points to 11 at half time.
Pompey started the second half in a fiery mood, running the kick off back at the opposition, Beasley charged down a scrambled defensive clearance and kicking the ball on into the Ellingham 22 it looked like the hosts would score but after three phases were adjudged to be not releasing the ball. The relief was plain to see on the visitors faces as they had just been battered for five minutes. They flung the ball wide from the line-out and a missed tackle put the second row through for a try under the posts and a thirteen point lead. With fifty minutes on the clock the visitors went further ahead from a line-out on Pompey’s 22, a good catch and an even better drive marched the hosts back to their own line and a try which made it 5-23.
Five minutes later Portsmouth repaid that try with a catch and drive of their own, Fooks finishing off the move crashing over by the posts and Hywel Gronow added the extras. With Pompey chasing at least a bonus point if not the win, the rest of the second half was a case of what might have been as they were penalised for holding on to the ball repeatedly. In the final few minutes relentless pressure from Pompey coupled with a yellow card for the visitors saw Portsmouth in the Ellingham 22, a couple of tap penalties saw Pompey piling into the visitors, desperate defence from Ellingham & Ringwood kept Pompey out, finally a knock on just a few meters from the line gave the visitors a chance to clear the ball and take the points.
Simon Newsham