Hove V Jersey Saltgate Colts

Jersey 24 - 41 Hove
Saturday 18 October

Jersey produced a spirited performance but ultimately came up short against a clinical Hove side, who ran out 41-24 winners after making the most of opportunities out wide.

The match began brightly for Jersey. After an early scrum near halfway, the visitors launched an impressive attack from deep inside their own 22. A superb break down the wing by Lyle Pritchard carved open the defence before he offloaded brilliantly to Harry le Brocq, who crossed for the opening try. Louis Pallant added the conversion to give Jersey an early 7-0 lead.

Hove responded immediately, scoring an unconverted try before adding a second converted effort to move 12-7 ahead. Their pace out wide continued to cause problems, and two further tries down the left wing stretched their advantage to 24-7 by the midway point of the first half.

To Jersey's credit, they refused to let the game slip away. Ollie Wiseman powered over for an important try to make it 24-12, and the momentum continued to swing. Sustained pressure and good field position paid off when James Molteno crossed the line, with Louis Pallant converting to narrow the gap to just five points at 24-19. After a difficult spell earlier in the half, Jersey headed into the break firmly back in contention.

The second half began with both sides battling for territory, but Hove struck first to extend their advantage to 31-19.

Jersey looked set to reduce the deficit further midway through the second half, but a sustained attacking move was halted when Hove managed to hold the ball carrier up over the line. The near miss proved a crucial moment, denying Jersey valuable points and keeping the home side in control of the scoreboard.

That resilience was rewarded when Ashton Planner crossed for Jersey's fourth try, reducing the deficit to 31-24 and keeping hopes of a comeback alive. Unfortunately, Hove responded once again with a well-timed score to restore control at 36-24.

A further setback came when Jersey were reduced to 14 players late in the game. Despite continuing to battle hard, the extra space eventually told, and Hove added a final try to seal a 41-24 victory.

While the result did not go Jersey's way, there were plenty of positives to take from the performance. The attacking flair shown in the opening score, the fightback from 24-7 down to 24-19, and the defensive effort throughout demonstrated the squad's character and determination. Jersey never stopped competing and showed impressive resilience against a strong Hove side.

Jersey Scorers
Harry le Brocq - Try
Ollie Wiseman - Try
James Molteno - Try
Ashton Planner - Try
Louis Pallant - 2 Conversions

Full Time

Hove 41 - 24 Jersey

Saltgate continue to sponsor and support the team both on and off the pitch and recently presented the squad with training and playing kit.