Results

Counties 1 Hampshire Results

Sat 20 Sep 2025

Bognor RFC

22 – 17

(HT 0-0)

Portsmouth RFC

Bognor RFC

  • 15
    Halligan
  • 14
    Spray
  • 13
    Herrington
  • 12
    Dent
  • 11
    Turner
  • 10
    Newton-Young
  • 9
    Spurle
  • 1
    Billingham
  • 2
    Mitchell
  • 3
    Benjamin
  • 4
    Flinn
  • 5
    Stevens
  • 6
    Rimmer
  • 7
    Norrell
  • 8
    Jays

Substitutes

  • 16
    Voigt
  • 17
    Watmore
  • 18
    Castleton

Portsmouth RFC

Substitutes

Match Report

The game started in ideal conditions for free-flowing rugby and finished with a very wet ball due to light persistent rain, which made handling more difficult. Bognor have started the season with two league victories and Portsmouth with two close losses.
The game started at a fast pace. Portsmouth opened the scoring with a well worked try by Jay Chatham after a clever chip kick by Gareth Davies, also converted from in front of the posts. 0-7.

Bognor were soon level after weak first up tackling allowed their speedy left wing to score, which was converted. 7-7.
Unfortunately after 15 minutes Portsmouth lost their captain Aaron Beesley to a knee injury, which looks like a few weeks on the sidelines. Almost immediately Bognor scored again from 40metres and convert. 14-7.
By this stage the Portsmouth tight forwards are putting the Bognor eight under a lot of pressure, especially in the scrums. On 22 minutes Gareth Davies sends a good penalty kick into the corner resulting in a catch and drive for Elliott Worrall to score. A Gareth Davies conversion made it 14-14.

On 32 minutes a missed line out by Portsmouth bounced into the Bognor 10s hands who strolls over for their third try, with conversion missed. 19-14.
Unfortunately shortly afterwards a Bognor player suffered a serious looking neck injury in a tackle situation and after a short period of time the referee blew for half time and an ambulance was called. We moved pitches with the referee stating that the missing 6 minutes would be added onto the second half. Bognor looked very dangerous in the first half with their quick backs causing lots of problems for the Portsmouth defence.

The touch line expected more of the same in the second half with Bognor playing with a stiff wind at their backs. However the Portsmouth forwards had other ideas and denied Bognor the ball for much of the 55 minute second half. Injuries to centres Tim Rollett and Evan Watts (dislocated shoulder) meant more disruption for the backs, which had 4 changes from last week’s side, meaning second row Sam Foster playing centre.

With Bognor struggling to exit their half Gareth Davies kicked a penalty to bring Portsmouth within a kick as the persistent drizzle started. 19-17.
Portsmouth were dominating possession and position, but just couldn’t score. On 40 and 45 minutes Gareth Davies had two difficult penalty chances to put Portsmouth ahead, but both drifted wide with the wind. Bognor finally got into the Portsmouth half and a breakdown offence earned Alex Buck a yellow card. Shortly afterwards Bognor kicked a simple penalty and the game finished. Bognor 22 Portsmouth 17.

Next week there are no games as it’s the Women’s rugby World Cup final.

Team:
Solanki
Chatham
Rollett
Watts
Field
Davies
Vugler
Avis
Fooks
Rolfe
Worrall
Foster
Buck
Floyd
Beesley Captain
Replacements
Atkins
Murray
Pilbeam