Price is just right as Hants continue fine start

Division Two Round-up

HAMPSHIRE made it two wins in a row in Pool Two with a comprehensive defeat of Somerset at Hyde Park.

The visitors easily secured a try-scoring bonus point before the break with their running style of rugby leading to two tries for flanker Kemp Price plus one each for scrum-half Wesley Dugan, fly-half Jacob Knight and wing James Wise.

Inside centre Joel Knight also crossed the whitewash for Hampshire as well as adding four conversions and a penalty.

Somerset’s only reply came midway through the half through outside centre Marcus Nel as the visitors led 41-5 at the break.

Somerset struggled to get out of their own half after the restart and conceded a series of penalties.

Joel Knight kicked the first, they kicked to touch with the second but spilled the ball before opting for a scrum with the third that led to wing Stott Morris touching down.

Going into the final quarter referee Laura Pettingale sent Somerset’s Chris Francis and Hampshire’s Joel Knight to the sin-bin. Lewis Dennett took over the kicking duties and added a penalty to take the visitors past the half century mark.

Dennett then intercepted a pass inside his own 22 before breaking away and offloading for Price to complete his hat-trick with Dennett adding the extras. Somerset kept battling but it is Hampshire who head the group after a 66-5 win.

Elsewhere, Durham overwhelmed a muchchanged Staffordshire side – easing to a comfortable 99-7 victory.

Durham scored 15 tries, with Grant Connon and Ollie Hodgson grabbing hat-tricks, while Staffordshire got a consolation through Tom Windibank’s length-of-the-field try.

Warwickshire burst into a 27-0 lead away at

North Midlands and, although Mitch McGahan and Charlie Bennett scored for the hosts, they converted it into a 27-12 win.

Leicestershire were also on fire, powering to a 63-7 win over Cumbria.