Alton finally banish relegation fears win with a grafting win over Ellingham & Ringwood.

The performance was more clunking juggernaut than Rolls Royce but Alton nonetheless managed to grit out a highly significant victory over Ellingham & Ringwood at Anstey Park.

Chopped, changed and held together with sticking plaster, Alton struggled for fluidity throughout but their forwards ratcheted up the power in the second half to overturn a 10-8 half-time deficit and secure four league points that have just about guaranteed London 3 rugby next term.

The visitors' problems began and ended at the scrum, where their injury-weakened front five were crushingly overpowered by their Alton counterparts.

E&R barely won a scrum in the second half and as a result simply had no stable platform to secure first-phase possession. And by the end the visitors' scrum was starting to disintegrate alarmingly at the point of engagement. Ellingham head coach Steve Anderson rightly concluded that his side's penalty count had also hurt them badly.

Elsewhere it was a different story. The visitors' fluent and expansive game was both pleasing to the eye and incisive, and with more possession they could have seriously hurt Alton. They deserved more from this match.

They possess gifted and intuitive backs and an impressive back-row trio in which pacy open-side flanker Rob Saltrick, recently capped for England Students against France, was quite outstanding.

Saltrick, number eight Jamie Sanders and blindside Ant Vaughan had a dynamic fringe game that Alton couldn't match although Winston Carter, in particular, did a fine job nullifying it.

Carter was exceptionally good, especially in defence. His ferocious, whiplash tackles are one thing; his ability to snaffle turnover ball from nowhere quite another. For a man nearing 40, his athleticism is astounding.

Lock Stephen Osborne looked the part too. He has been subdued on occasions this season but he was up for this one, with some meaty hits and plenty of hustle and bustle going forward. Moreover, Jimmy Gay, after a lengthy injury lay-off, put himself about the place to great effect and galvanised the Alton forwards who grew stronger as the game progressed. Overall, it was a commanding forward effort.

On the flipside, the backs stuttered and offered little threat going forward, though their true value came from their defensive resilience - hats off to Matt O'Connor and Matt Spencer in particular.

And then there was Andrew Hullock. The former rugby league man has been absent for eight weeks on Army duties and Alton have felt his absence. He effortlessly slotted five kicks at goal and offered the odd glimpse of his class, notably a scintillating 60-metre break that would have secured a fourth-try bonus point had he spotted Adam Gill inside him.

No matter. Alton and E&R will lock horns again in London 3 next season and the league will be better for it.

Hullock opened the scoring with a ninth-minute penalty and Osborne extended Alton's lead when he was driven over from a driving maul.

John Firkin's penalty narrowed the deficit but E&R had the lead on the stroke of half-time when Alton's defence were flummoxed by stand-off Phil Osman's ostentatious dummy and he sauntered through for a cheeky opportunist try.

Hullock restored Alton's lead immediately after the break and Shane Watts extended it when he dotted down from a pushover scrum. Hullock and Filkin swapped penalties before Alton finally sealed victory when E&R dangerously collapsed another five-metre scrum and Mike Gill awarded the penalty try.

E&R finished strongly and Charlie Cockram and Firkin combined neatly to set up a fine try for wing Dan Stewart but even Firkin's nonchalant drop-kick conversion from the touchline was not enough to secure what would have been a deserved losing bonus point.

Alton: Law; O'Connor, Hullock, Forsyth (Spencer, HT), Gill; Happel, Parratt, Gay (c); Osborne, Oliphant; Gerlach, Carter, Watts.
Tries: Osborne (16), Watts (61), penalty try (76);
Cons.: Hullock (2);
Pens: Hullock (9, 43, 74).

Ellingham & Ringwood: Firkin; Stewart, Cockram, Fityan, Beavis, Osman, Whale; Tyler, Headley, Holdaway; Soden, Levy; Vaughan, Saltrick, Sanders (c). Reps. (all used): Moore, Edwards, Butcher.
Tries: Osman (40), Stewart (79);
Cons.: Firkin (2)
Pens: Firkin (27, 65).

H-T: 8-10

Referee: Mike Gill (Hampshire Society).

Other London 3SW results:

Camberley 56 - 0 Sandown & Shanklin;

London South Africa 24 - 13 Petersfield;

Old Alleynians 32 - 19 Fordingbridge;

Old Wellingtonians 39 - 18 Winchester;

Teddington 117 - 5 Old Wimbledonians.