ELLINGHAM & Ringwood bowed out of the RFU Junior Vase following a 28-18 defeat at home to Hastings and Bexhill.

Es started the second round tie well when scrum half Josh Butcher, pictured, kicked an early penalty. The Sussex side came back strongly with two tries out wide, but Butcher kicked another penalty to close the gap to 10-6 at the break.

In the second half, the visitors kicked two penalties, but Butcher added a further three to reduce the deficit to one point.

Ellingham then lost both their wing three quarters to the sin bin for seemingly minor offences and Hastings took full advantage, scoring two further tries and a conversion to open up a 28-15 lead. At that stage, the game looked over, but Ellingham fought back hard and amazingly two Hastings players were then sent to the sin bin with 10 minutes left to play. Ellingham came back strongly, but lacked the same clinical finishing the visitors had shown and they had to be content with just one further penalty to make the final score 28-18.

The firsts are back in action on Saturday when they host arch-rivals Fordingbridge in Snows Hampshire One. Read about the derby in next week’s Journal.

n A FORMER Ellingham & Ringwood junior made his first team debut for Exeter Chiefs.

Jack Owlett, who started his rugby as a mini and junior player at Ellingham & Ringwood, made his debut for Exeter Chiefs on Saturday in their 62-25 win at home to the Cardiff Blues.

Owlett has also been capped at Under 20s level for Scotland.