Alton win their first pre-season match Late tries by James Ross and Jason Rees sealed a hugely encouraging win as Alton continued their build-up to the start of the league season, which opens on 23 September.

What a difference a year makes: in last year's meeting between the two teams, the Middlesex side racked up 60 points without reply and the tone was set for a miserable relegation year for the Red Bellies.

Spectators at Anstey Park have not had much to cheer in the intervening year but a five-try defeat of Old Hamptonians, a league higher than Alton, suggests that brighter days are just around the corner.

Indeed this was a very different Alton side to the one that struggled through last year's difficult season.

For starters, more than half of the starting fifteen were under 23 - the combined age of the front row alone was just 65 - and the fitness levels are higher than this time last year.

More importantly, however, there was a genuine cutting-edge and enterprise going forward, although the execution did not always match the ambition to play a fast, open game. Passes went astray and it was a little messy at times, but there was plenty of gusto in Alton's attacking play, and the set-pieces held up well.

But it was nip-and-tuck for 75 minutes as the lead changed hands four times.

Unconverted first-half tries from Ross and hooker Luke Parratt gave Alton a 10-7 interval lead; a well-worked third from full-back Steve Johns early in the second half, converted by Ott, appeared to have put Alton in control but Hamptonians hit back to lead 19-17 halfway through the second period.

Ott then kicked two penalties to restore the home side's advantage in the final quarter of the match.

But Alton saved the best until two minutes from the end.

Parratt stole a ball against the head from a scrum deep inside the Hamptonians 22 and from the resulting attack, Ott sucked in the midfield defence before his simple pop-pass allowed Jason Rees, hitting the line at pace, to stroll in under the posts.

Then Alton scored again immediately with a try they are unlikely to better all season.

Prop James Gay took the restart on the charge and offloaded to Rees, whose sinuous run ended with long floated pass to Ross. The wing outpaced the defence to dab down in the left-hand corner.

The impressive Ott converted from the touchline to put the icing on the cake and secure a hard-fought win - and revenge for twelve months ago.

So far, so good. Alton travel to Hampshire 2 side Aldershot and Fleet on Saturday for their final warm-up game before their Hampshire 1 curtain-raiser against Ellingham & Ringwood. The 2nd XV host Alresford.

Alton: S Johns; M Downer, S Ford, A Davies, J Rees, J Ross; S Ott, J Grace, D Forsyth; S Watts, J Rowe, L Parratt (c), J Gay; M Greenhaugh, S Sorby; S Jones, M Forsyth.

Tries: Ross (2), Rees, Parratt, Johns. Conversions: Ott (2). Penalties: Ott (2).

Man of the Match: Steve Sorby.

* Alton's young stand-off Simon Kelly will miss several weeks of action after the Chichester University student sustained a fractured ankle in training last week.