Basingstoke

Trojans came away from Basingstoke with a well deserved bonus point win and a place in the Hampshire Bowl final against Eastleigh.

Trojans made a good start and pressured the Basingstoke lines but some indiscipline allowed Basingstoke to take play to the other end of the pitch but Trojans defended well and put themselves on the attack and good interpassing by forwards and backs ended on the ten minutes with Johnny Smyth diving over near the posts with a conversion by Chris Boyd. Basingstoke then started to put some strong play together and, on twenty minutes, some strong mauling resulted in an unconverted try with the half ending 7 – 5 to Trojans.

With the first half very even, the second half turned out to be all Trojans with Basingstoke, although putting some good play together, never looking like worrying the Trojans line. Trojans went on an early attack and set up a maul in the Basingstoke twenty-two ending with a yellow card for a Basingstoke player and from the ensuing penalty prop Marcus Coffin bundled over the line for a try, converted by Tom Stevenson. On the quarter hour, Trojans had to defend some Basingstoke attacks and a high defensive kick was allowed to bounce by the Basingstoke defence and No 8 Alex Williams snatched the ball from the air and charged the Basingstoke line, finally slipping the ball to Greg Ward to score under the posts and to give Chris Boyd an easy conversion. Play was concentrated in the middle of the pitch until Trojans had the ball in their own half and slipped it to scrum-half Stevenson who put in a scintillating run down the touch line, desperately chased by the Basingstoke defence, to score in the corner. Trojans were now well on top and finished off the scoring with a Stevenson penalty.