Andover II 0pts, Alton 59pts

WHAT a difference a week makes. Gone were the warm, balmy conditions of the last match, having been replaced by a biting northerly wind, a maximum temperature of 5C and, as the game ended, rain.

But Alton adapted well and took the lead through the forwards after just five minutes when they drove Andover back over their goal line, hooker Luke Parratt emerging with the ball.

Not to be outdone the backs scored five minutes later through stand-off Ed Thomas following a typical passing move. Andover hit back, preventing the visitors from settling into their normal flowing game, assisted by some poor final passes on both flanks which had they gone to hand would have released the wingers.

Alton regained control of the match two minutes before half-time when centre Oli Fielder finished off a backs’ move. Joe Gwyther, playing at centre, added a penalty shortly after to pad Alton’s lead to 18-0.

Almost immediately, scrum-half George Pantrey squirrelled his way over the line, with Gwyther collecting the additional two points for the conversion and the gap was 25-0.

Now full of confidence, Alton ran everything at Andover whose defence held firm until 18 minutes into the second half when flanker Karter Whitlock scored, and he was soon followed by his back row colleague Matt Sellstrom who collected his first league points for Alton for a 35-0 lead.

Nine minutes later, Fielder touched down for his second try of the afternoon, which Gwyther converted, to make it 42-0.

Jez Powell scored two minutes later, Gwyther again converted, and the scoring was completed by prop James Raynor, playing his first match for Alton, and by winger Ryan Bale, who has now scored in every match this season except one.

Alton still head the Hampshire 1 league table on points difference from Farnborough, who closed the gap to 10 with a resounding 93-3 home win against Ventnor.

On Saturday, Alton host third-placed Overton in Hampshire 1 at Anstey Park (kick-off 1.15pm).