Dreadnoughts clinch impressive win at Bournemouth

The Portsmouth Dreadnoughts defeated south-coast rivals Bournemouth Bobcats 27-0 in their opening game of the SFC south two campaign.

Two passing touchdowns, a run and an interception by the defence helped the side win in their visit to Poole last week.

Luke Head-Rapson told of his pride after the performance – but insists improvements are still to be made.

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The head coach said: ‘It is nice to be able to go out on the pitch and put our preparations into practice.

‘The defence put in a performance I am proud of but there are still some things to work on with the offence.

‘It is only the first game though and it will take time to get things going.’

The Dreadnoughts started the game with a touchdown after wide-receiver Jake Smith caught quarterback Stu Rees’ throw in the endzone. The kick for the extra point was missed.

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It was the visitors who scored again after Bournemouth fumbled the snap and it was recovered by linebacker Andrew Wood.

With the Dreadnoughts offence at the one-yard line, Rees handed the ball to running back Tom Davies who ran into the endzone.

The extra point was converted to extend their lead.

The Hooks Lane outfit continued to show their dominance when they scored again after half-time.

Wide-receiver Keiran Bellinger caught a pass from Rees for their third touchdown of the game. The extra point was missed.

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And there was enough time on the clock for the Dreadnoughts to put the game to bed.

With the Bobcats offence on their own one-yard line, a fumble by their quarterback saw defensive end Matt Audley intercept the ball in the endzone for a touchdown.

A fake field goal saw holder Thomas Usai run the ball for two extra points.

Head-Rapson saluted his side and believes the score flattered the Bobcats.

He added: ‘They never looked liked scoring.

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‘We were pretty dominant on the defence side of the ball, we didn’t allow them much room to breathe in the game at all.

‘We could have scored more but we need more consistency from the offence.’

The Dreadnoughts host their first home game of the season on Sunday.

They welcome Swindow Storm at Hooks Lane (2.30pm).

They are a side Portsmouth have not faced for five years but Head-Rapson is looking forward to the challenge.

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And the head coach is relishing showing the home crowd some new faces.

‘I can’t wait to play at home and perform well for the fans,’ said Head-Rapson.

‘We are a completely different side to when we last played Swindon so I will be looking forward to that match-up.

‘We have a few new players who have transferred to us this season and they have improved the team.

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‘Lloyd Scott transferred from Farnham Knights and is a tremendous player.

‘Rich Bloomer is a new player from Oxford Saints. He had a great pre-season and is putting in 100 per cent. Hopefully that will lead to a good season for us.’