Alton Succumb to Clinical Dalgleish

A powerful performance in the final quarter of the game and two late penalties from fly-half Grant 'Kenny' Dalgleish gave United Services a well-merited victory in an absorbing game at Burnaby Road.

A snooker-table pitch on an unseasonably warm November day: it was an afternoon conceived in rugby heaven, but the gods of fortune continued to mock Alton. They slipped to their fifth straight Hampshire One defeat, but it was certainly not for want of trying.

But Alton should not dwell too long on their own deficiencies when assessing this game.

To a man they competed with magnificent heart and occasional footballing excellence; their forwards enjoyed the edge in the scrummage against noticeably larger and heavier opponents, and they had the measure of their opponents in the loose.

The missing ingredient that probably cost them the game was discipline. Alton gave away twice as many penalties as United Services, the bulk of them in the final twenty minutes when they were pinned deep inside their own half. Consequently, the momentum was always with the home side as the game reached its climax.

Alton made by far the brisker start and dominated possession in the opening half - but, bewilderingly, found themselves 10-0 down after a quarter of an hour.

US opened the scoring after just 100 seconds with their first touch of the ball: Alton were punished for an offence at the ruck and Dalgleish slotted a 25-yard penalty. Shortly afterwards, the hosts increased their lead when scrum-half James Simpson and Dalgleish latched onto a loose ball in centre-field and combined to send wing Luke Peters through a gaping hole on the right-hand blindside. Dalgleish converted and the Navy side were sailing on the high seas.

Alton though, had a sharper, nastier edge about them and they responded effectively. With experienced back-row men Garry MacDonell and Winston Carter putting themselves about with some effect and their fellow forwards putting in some meaty drives, Alton hauled their way back into the game.

Steven Ott reduced the arrears on 22 minutes with a penalty and it was all square three minutes before half-time when a trademark catch and rolling-maul saw prop James Gay plunge over. Ott squared it with his touchline conversion.

Honours even at half-time, but United Services, jittery and lacking in composure in the first-half, suddenly found their muse.

They pounded the Alton line with a series of forward sallies and Dalgleish eventually settled for the three points, but it was 13-13 almost immediately when Keiron Collins' calmly slotted a 25-metre drop-goal.

United Services galvanised themselves again and threw everything at Alton, but the visitors' defence repelled them time and time again. Skipper Clayton Patilla and number eight Dan Stoneman, in particular, made some pounding, damaging runs as United Services laid siege to the Alton 22.

Twelve minutes from the end, Dalgleish made a clean blindside break and seemed certain to score, but his inside pass was intercepted by Alton scrum-half Jason Grace. It didn't matter because Alton were penalised for offside under their own posts and Dalgleish claimed three easy points.

The hosts completed the job with the final move of the match when Alton tried to launch a counter from their own 22 and were penalised yet again for a ruck offence. Dalgleish kicked his fourth penalty to cap a fine performance and seal the points for United Services.

US Portsmouth: Kennedy; Hoskins, Bond, Vuniwaqu, Peters; Dalgleish, Simpson; Roberts, Guyll, Isaacs; Patilla (c), Wreford; Ham, O'Leary; Stoneman.

Try: Peters;

Conv: Dalgleish;

Pens: Dalgleish (4).

Alton: Johns; White (Wills 70), Forsyth, Ott, Ross; Collins, Grace; Happel, Parratt (c), Gay; Greenhalgh, Oliphant; MacDonell (Wilson 51), Carter, Davies.

Try: Gay;

Conv: Ott;

Pen: Ott;

Drop-Goal: Collins.