Alton ease their worries with a hard-fought win at bottom club London South Africa.

Match photos can be found here

A big victory for Alton, this one. They were a mile short of their best but took the few chances that came their way and ultimately won with a bit to spare. Never mind the quality of performance, feel the win.  

Bottom club London South Africa certainly posed a big physical challenge and their forwards will hurt some London 3 sides this year but poor decision-making and execution, especially outside the scrum, too often let them down.

Tense as the game was, it was dog's breakfast - a litany of misplaced passes, careless knock-ons and wayward kicking that did little justice to the splendid Imber Court setting.

But Alton punctuated the mediocrity by producing two wonderful tries from nowhere and that was enough to nick the game from the Exiles.
 
There were some decent performances on both sides. Steve Ott was a reassuring figure in the visitors' midfield, his bullocking runs making hard yards and sucking in defenders, while his size twelves repeatedly hoofed Alton out of trouble. Lock Bruce Oliphant was a tireless carrier, hooker Luke Parratt was nippy and busy, while the back three were alert in defence and always had an eye for the counter-attack. Debutant Tim Salmon, one of three teenagers in the starting XV, was a livewire.

Above all, it was a gutsy team defensive effort even if the decision-making and execution in attack were occasionally rushed and panicky.

For the Exiles, Number 8 Francois Wiese and open-side Devan Swart made some thunderous carries. They were the stand-outs but South Africans' beefy pack enjoyed a slight edge over Alton, especially in the line-out.

Moreover, the Exiles enjoyed plenty of possession and ran the phases well, but promising moves broke down because they kicked the ball away in good attacking positions. They had strong runners in wings Robbie Burroughs and Lee Arnold but too often they were chasing poorly-weighted cross-kicks that were easy pickings for Alton's vigilant back three.

Thus, it was cruelly ironic for the South Africans that on the single occasion Alton employed the cross-field kick as an attacking weapon, they scored the game's decisive try.

Alton led 10-0 at the break after a dire opening period in which both sides struggled to retain control of the ball, never mind do anything with it. Ott's 5th-minute penalty was a good return for some early Alton pressure but it took nearly half an hour for the next score.

It was worth the wait. Salmon and Richard Hemmens counter-attacked from their own 22, Alton won quick ruck ball and after a couple more passes Parratt made a line-break, fed Matt O'Connor and he slipped an inside pass to give prop Nick Ovens his first senior try. A wonderful score that was utterly out of keeping with the fumbling hesitancy of what preceded it.

Alton extended their lead shortly after the interval when the pack drove Oliphant over from a line-out on the Exiles' line and they sealed the game in the 56 minute with another delicious try.

Ott initially took a crash ball on halfway, Oliphant drove up to the Exiles' 10-metre line and Christo Arundel then floated a supremely weighted cross-kick for O'Connor, who out-jumped the defensive cover, plucked the ball from the skies and darted over.

The Exiles rallied well, however, and made decent in-roads into the Alton defence in the final quarter. They deservedly scored a consolation try when Alton lost control of the ball at a defensive five-metre scrum and flanker Swart fell on the loose ball.

Stand-off Tyroan Denny converted well from near the touchline but Alton closed out the victory that will ease tensions at Anstey Park and pep up the side for the challenges ahead.

* Alton face a tougher challenge with the visit of second-placed Camberley this Saturday (3pm kick-off).

London South Africa: de Wet; Burroughs, Brown, Vock (c), Arnold; Denny, Potgieter; Rix, Stein, du Plessis; Sauer, Lecher; Manley (Connolly, 21) Swart, Wiese. Reps. Quixley, Swanepoel.

Try: Swart (62')
Conversion: Denny.

Alton: Salmon; O'Connor, Richards, Ott, Hemmens; Arundel (Mountfield, 61), Crowther; Ovens (Happel, 51), Parratt, Gay (c); Greenhalgh (Baker, 58), Oliphant; Watts, Sorby, Ford.

Tries: Ovens (33'), Oliphant (51'), O'Connor (56');
Conversions: Ott (2);
Penalty: Ott (5').

* With thanks to LSARFC's Trevor Johnson for additional information and to the LSA reporter for revealing the identity of the Exiles' try-scorer! LSA's report can be viewed here: http://www.londonsouthafricarfa.co.uk/

Other London 3SW results:

Camberley 55 - 8 Old Wimbledonians;

Old Alleynians 22 - 24 Ellingham & Ringwood;

Old Wellingtonians 21 - 24 Sandown & Shanklin;

Teddington 53 - 20 Petersfield;

Winchester 49 - 13 Fordingbridge.