Red-hot Robert Ellis continues impressive try-scoring streak as Gosport & Fareham see off Sandown & Shanklin

Following on from completing a hat-trick in Gosport's win over New Milton & District last time out, red-hot Ellis added another treble to make it just the six tries in his side's previous two matches!

Fellow full-back Dom Philo (two), along with Iain Grice and Will Larkin, were also on the scoresheet with captain Dom Holling converting five of the seven tries Gosport managed on a successful day all-round.

Head coach Mark Pollard, whose second-placed side are now nine points behind leaders Havant 2nds with four games remaining, beamed: ‘To be fair, for us, it was a brilliant game of rugby. We started off really well, we controlled the tempo, we controlled the game and we were lucky enough to get some tries early on as a reward.

‘They're a good side (Sandown), it's a good away day for them from the island, we were expecting a tough game which was exactly what we got.

‘There might have been a bit of a wind down at Gosport Park but our captain managed to get his kicking boots on rather than the week before, we've got to be pleased with that.’

Converted tries from hat-trick hero Ellis and Philo inside the opening 18 minutes gave the hosts an early 14-0 advantage.

Grice and Philo – his second score – went over before the half-hour mark, with Holling also firing over a penalty, as Gosport held a sizeable 29-7 lead in the heading into the interval.

Then, an action-packed first-half ended with Simon Trivett and a Sandown player receiving yellow cards minutes before the break.

Ellis ran in a further two tries within 22 minutes of the restart to complete a second treble in as many matches.

At that stage it appeared as though Gosport would run away with things at 41-7, yet Isle of Wight side Sandown scored two tries of their own in the space of four minutes to reduce the deficit.

Jordan Carter became the second home player sent to the sin-bin with three minutes of the regulation 80 minutes remaining but Gosport at least ended a bright day on a high note with Larkin going over to wrap up his side's 48-21 victory.