FORDINGBRIDGE made it two wins on the bounce after defeating Sandown and Shanklin 27-21 away in Snows Hampshire One.

Mat Norton opened the scoring for the visitors with a penalty, but that was cancelled out when Sandown pushed the visitors’ maul over in the corner. The conversion was missed, but the lead was with the hosts.

Alex Davenport scored the next try for Fordingbridge, but with the conversion missed the lead, while reversed, was a narrow one. This was completely eradicated five minutes later when Sandown converted a penalty to bring the game all square with 15 minutes to go to the end of the first half.

On the wing for Fordingbridge, Dan Brown has in recent weeks, found his scoring form again and just before the break went over for his first of two for the afternoon. The sides went into the break with the visitors ahead 13-8.

The Hurricanes scored twice in the opening period of the second half, a push over maul try and another penalty to take them into the lead by three points. Dan Brown scored his second and with Norton adding the conversion the lead again changed hands.

As the game entered the final quarter the Fordingbridge pack started to get to grips with the home side and off the back of a superb scrum Norton crashed through to touch down under the posts. With the extras added for the first time in the match, there was some daylight between the teams with the score standing at 27-16.

Sandown touched down but by this time it was too late and the game ended 27-26 to ’Bridge.

Man of the match and captain Steve Brown commented after the game “that despite the tries from the three quarters, it was the defensive work of the ’Bridge pack in the final quarter that won the game for them”.

Fordingbridge do not have a game next weekend but welcome Ellingham & Ringwood to the Recreation Ground for what promises to be a full-blooded derby on Saturday, March 4.