Alton 36pts, Millbrook 7pts

RIGHT from the kick-off Alton Silverbacks took the game to Millbrook.

Following a flowing backs move, Alton were awarded a penalty when a visiting player held on to the ball in a tackle. Unfortunately, the kick failed.

Not disheartened, Alton attacked the visitors’ defence, which failed to gather properly a kick ahead by stand-off Cameron Wicks and the ball was gathered up by full back Mark Jamieson who scored. Wicks added the conversion for a 7-0 lead.

On 12 minutes, Jamieson was again on hand to finish off another flowing move among the backs to pad Alton’s lead at 12-0.

The Silverbacks maintained the pressure on Millbrook, but a combination of a well-organised defence and handling errors meant that it was a further 12 minutes before yet another interchanging move allowed Wicks to help himself to a try and the subsequent conversion as the lead raced up to 19-0.

Most of the Silverbacks were involved in moving the attack from one side of the pitch to the other, eventually freeing winger Ed Lowman to score the fourth, and bonus point, try wide out on the right. Wicks was unfazed and slotted over a fine conversion before adding a penalty before half-time to take the score to 29-0 at the break.

The large crowd were expecting Alton to capitalise fully on their good first half when the second began, but it wasn’t to be. But they did score again at the end of the third quarter when Lowman broke through the defence when he adopted an excellent running line to make Wicks’ task easy, touching down below the posts as the score reached 36-0.

The rest of the match belonged to Millbrook, whose heads never went down. They camped in the Alton half for the last 20 minutes and their forward pressure finally paid off on the final whistle, with second rower Scott Dennington touching down and stand-off Sean Kirkup converting.

The result saw Alton Silverbacks consolidate second place in the Hampshire Premiership, seven points behind Petersfield with a game in hand.

On Saturday, Alton welcome old friends and rivals Alresford to Anstey Park (kick-off 2.30pm).