Havant and Camberley close gap to Wimbledon

WITH league leaders Wimbledon enjoying a free Saturday, their two closest challengers in Havant and Camberley both took the opportunity to close the gap – which they did, albeit in contrasting styles.

At Bournemouth, Havant found themselves 9-0 down after just a quarter of an hour and it took a concerted effort to come away with the spoils, 28-24.

Joel Knight scored two outstanding individual tries – the first which saw him start his charge to the white line from inside his own half – before Ben Holt finished off a stylish move including a number of plays. The men from Dorset though, still with the spectre of relegation hanging over them, were never out of the fight, Ash Taylor scoring their first try not long after the break to make it a four-point game.

Reuben Knight ghosted over for Havant’s fourth to give them breathing space, and they certainly needed it. A second Bournemouth try, from Ciaran Smyth, with 17 minutes still to play gave the visitors plenty to get through defensively – which they did.

Camberley were in red hot form up in Surrey, thrashing Sutton and Epsom 50-26, and 43 of those points were scored in the first half with George Owen helping himself to a hat-trick, Alex Young claiming a brace and Adam Pickett, Dom Sammut and Nick Barry also in on the act.

Ollie Baptiste, Alex Mount, Josh Glanville and George Drye got across the whitewash for Sutton.

At Lily Hill Park, Bracknell beat Banbury 24-19, with the visitors’ tries coming from Selemaki Totofi, James Hibbert and Quinten Blythe; a losing bonus point keeps them two points away from bottom side Sutton.

Another of the division’s strugglers, Royal Wootton Bassett, sprung a major surprise, beating Maidenhead 24-18 to give themselves a huge lift in their battle against the drop.