Newly-promoted Gosport & Fareham RFC maintain 100 per cent Counties 1 Hampshire run by beating Portsmouth

They finished second in last season’s Hampshire Premier, winning 19 out of their 22 league games.

A 39-26 weekend victory over Portsmouth at Gosport Park was their third win in a row at the higher level.

Gosport ran in six tries - from Dom Holling (2), Owen Chalston, Ash Wakefield, Tim Snowden and Shaun Taylor - with Holling adding three conversions and a penalty.

Head coach Mark Pollard is not getting carried away, though, with his side’s successful opening few weeks following the RFU’s summer restructuring.

‘We’re playing some teams who were two divisions higher than us last season,’ he said. ‘We’ve effectively taken a double promotion.

‘The teams are all a bit of an unknown entity at the moment, we don’t know what we’re going to come up against.

‘We just want to win more games than we lose, be competitive every Saturday, and put ourselves in a good place.’

G & F have lost a handful of regulars who helped them to Hampshire Premier promotion last season.

SEE MORE: Gosport & Fareham v Portsmouth picture gallery

James Wallis has joined new divisional rivals Winchester, while Chris Thompson, Alex Duncombe and Toby Woodford have all stopped playing.

No new players have been recruited from other clubs, with Pollard preferring to promote from within.

Liam Chalston, who played for the club’s colts last term, has made the step up, playing at fly half against Portsmouth. His elder brother Owen, who played on the wing and was among the try scorers, was also in the starting XV.

G & F face early-season leaders Eastleigh next Saturday, one of the clubs who were playing two tiers higher in 2021/22.

‘We’re very excited about it,’ said Pollard. ‘Maybe we can put a marker down, and go from there.’

Portsmouth had entered the fixture having won their opening two league games against Trojans and Petersfield.

Debutant Tom Sanderson - playing at fly half after Harry Drew suffered a shoulder injury against Petersfield - scored his new side’s second try to give them a 23-19 lead shortly into the second half.

The first had been a penalty try following a driving maul.

SEE MORE: Portsmouth Valkyries v Cullompton picture gallery

All Portsmouth’s other points arrived via the boot of their man of the match Simon Morgan, playing at inside centre.

‘It was a disappointing result, but it was a good performance,’ said Portsmouth head coach Matt Wake.

‘It was a close game, they just had a spell in the middle of the second half where they dominated. They got two scores ahead and that made it difficult for us.

‘We would have got a losing bonus point but we dropped the ball when it was over the line with the last play.’

Portsmouth also have a tough fixture at the weekend - home to a Jersey side who, like Eastleigh, have also won their opening three matches.

Jersey caned Havant 50-12 and Basingstoke 69-10 before having a walkover at the weekend when Petersfield couldn’t raise a side for their visit to the Channel Island.

‘Jersey look very strong,’ said Wake. ‘They look as if they’re playing a level or two lower than they should.

They put 50 points on a Havant side who I feel will be really strong.’