Sandown & Shanklin kicked off the new decade with an away trip to old foes Bognor RFC, looking to keep pace with the leading teams in Hampshire Premier.

The Hurricanes didn't get off to the best of starts, conceding a penalty which was converted by the host's fly-half for an early lead, 3 - 0. This was followed up moments later with the first try of the game, when the home side had sucked in the Sandown defence and created space for their centres to combine and score. The try converted, Bognor increased their lead to ten points.
Following the restart, Sandown & Shanklin found a foothold in the game, with their forwards getting on the front foot. This resulted in the Bognor defence beginning to concede penalties at the breakdown and this allowed the Hurricanes to gain vital territory in the home sides 22. The increasing pressure accrued two yellow cards for the hosts, first for their centre and the second the lock for trying to kill the ball and prevent Hurricanes from scoring. The away side elected for a scrum to make the most of the man advantage, and with Number 8, Alex Smith picking from the base of the scrum, he was held out by a last-ditch tackle. A few phases later, centre Michael Barrett barged over from short range, Flux converted for Sandown to get their first score of the game, 10 - 7.
This got the away side fired up, and after reclaiming the restart strong carrying from W Williams, Smith and Chiverton got the Hurricanes into the Bognor half. Another string of penalties from Bognor allowed Flux to kick Sandown into the Bognor 22. The resulting lineout was claimed by Harrison Booth and set a customarily strong maul for the visitors, this was then driven over the try line, with Hooker, Zak Chiverton dotting down for the second score of the game. Flux converted to edge Sandown ahead for the first time 10 - 14.

Excellent defensive work from Rees, Dawson, and Booth, helped keep Bognor at bay and maintain play between the two ten metre lines for the duration of the first half. A last-minute break down the blindside saw the Bognor player evade tackles to score in the corner. With the conversion going just awry, it meant that the home side went into the half time break interval, 15 - 14.

Following the break, the Hurricanes didn't get off to the best of starts again, this time as Bognor attacked the Sandown defence and found a gap out wide to score, 20 - 14. The Hurricanes went on the attack to find a way back into the game. Man of the Match Michael Cooper carrying well in his first game back in the 1st XV since a long injury kept him out. But Wayne Williams, now on the wing, made a great dent into the defence following a powerful run down the wing. With the ball recycled quickly, the forwards barged their way into the 22 and up to the five-metre line. With another penalty coming Sandown's way, their attack was quelled by Bognor, another sin bin created another opportunity for the home side, with the penalty taken quickly. A handful of phases later, Smith barged over for Sandown's third score. Flux converted to edge the away side into the lead once again, 20 - 21.

Almost a symptom of the Hurricanes issues this season, a lapse of concentration allowed Bognor to outmanoeuvre the defence and exploit the space down the blindside. This presented the opportunity for the home winger to sprint into the corner and score. The fourth try converted, Bognor moved into the lead, 27 - 21. The final quarter of the game became a tense fight between the two sides, as Bognor battled to prevent the Hurricanes from finding a match-winning score. Try as they might, the Hurricanes could not find the desired score, and had to settle for a losing bonus point.

Director of Rugby, Damien Marriott shared his thoughts on the game:
"I thought Bognor were superb defensively and it felt a like tale of both 22's. They weren’t in our 22 too often, but when they were, they came away with some points. Especially their first score we gifted them that. Then, we were five metres from their line probably, four or five times in the first half, probably the same in the second half. While there are other parts of our game that we need to improve, that is definitely the area that got us.
All credit to Bognor defended magnificently of course, but we need to be better than that. In the second half we didn’t play as well as we did in the first half i thought. It is what it is, I’m glad we got a point at the end and it’s a good lesson for us - that we need to be better.”‌

The Hurricanes are back in action next Saturday (11th January), when they welcome New Milton & District RFC to the Fairway. The 2nd XV are on the road to Andover, to play their 3rd XV, and look to maintain their position near the top of Hampshire 3.