The mood was high, for both players and spectators alike. The English weather had treated us to a week in the sunshine apart from one day mid-week where pitches got a day’s worth of watering! The conditions couldn’t be better for the type of rugby this fixture deserves between two competitive and ambitious teams. It was impossible to ignore the implications of this matches result. We acknowledged amongst ourselves that the prospect of securing the league title today was always going to be in the backs of our minds. But it was only going to happen if we focused on our performance in the present moment.

Andover started well, with George Watson securing a tricky catch courtesy of a good execution of a high and accurate start kick from Totts. The ball changed hands a couple of times with kicks, turnovers and bit of scrappy handling. But the first breakthrough came when Andover chipped the ball over the back of Tott’s defensive line. It looked certain to bounce into touch, were it not for moment of athletic brilliance from flanker Kieron Bush to dive, put his hands under the ball and flick it back into the hands of Vice-Captain Alex Arter who carried it into Tott’s red zone. He was caught by a covering tackler but was able to free himself to offload to Toby Dixon running in support who crashed over for Andover's first try of the day. Converted by Tommy Gentleman. The score was 0-7.

Totts IIs enjoyed a period of sustained possession, running hard at Andover’s line and making good ground. Andover’s red-zone defence kept Totts out, with turnovers secured by Billy Pollard and James Reeder, and with Alex Arter holding up on the try line to secure goal-line restart. Eventually, Andover conceded a penalty which Totts opted to kick. Fortunately for Andover, the kick went wide. Andover managed to work their way back up the pitch with good carrying and supporting play to secure the ball at every phase. Another moment of the game came when second-row George Watson carried down the blindside and delivered an attractive back-door flick to winger Lennon Coffin. A beautiful example of forwards and backs sharing the same silky skill sets! Andover earned a penalty outside of Totts’s 22. Tommy Gentleman stepped up to kick but it bounced off the post. The ball was secured by Totts and kicked into touch. A missed penalty but a good territory gain and a platform to attack from.

The lineout, which was strong all game thanks to accurate throwing and fast movement on the ground going into the lift, was secured and transferred off the top into the hands of scrum-half James Wallace who slung an accurate long pass to James Reeder at first receiver. Reeder steamed towards the Totts defensive line, taking a good sideways step and evading the front-up tackler which saw him go through to score Andover’s second try. Converted again by Gentleman. The first half finished 0-14 to Andover II.

Overall, a solid half of rugby. With red zone defence being particularly strong. But the talk was all around shoring up our front up defence and prevent the Totts offload game so that we didn’t need to defend in our red zone.

Tottonians IIs were very much still in the game. They threatened our line every time and were able to move the ball wide swiftly. So it was important we stayed focused and not sit back. After another turnover secured, Andover carried down the right side of the pitch and went blindside from a breakdown. James Wallace flicked a dummy pass with two support runners, running convincing lines beside him and he ghosted through the line and dived over for a try in style. Taking the score to 0-19.

It was from this moment that Andover II would endure its most testing 15 minutes of the game. A good try scored by Totts II followed by 2 quick penalty kicks brought them back to within 6 points. Penalties going against us and Totts deservedly gathering momentum. They could sense a turning point. The narrative of the game had changed and now was the time for Andover to step up and stop the rot. Indeed, the resilience that defined this team’s season came to the fore. After an unforced error by Totts at the breakdown, Andover pounced on the loose ball and worked down pitch Into Totts's red zone. Andover executed a well-practiced pattern of play by keeping it tight and carrying hard around the fringe. Replacement front-row Samson Earle was the man to finish the play. And scored with a powerful pick and go. With the try unconverted, the score was 13-24. Tottonians felt they were very much still in the game and were raring to go on the restart.

But what followed was arguably the finest 10 minutes of play for Andover II so far this season. The carrying, the pace, the keeping ball alive mentality – characterised most by the balance of power and soft hands from front-row Elliott Byrne - but others followed. Every carry had someone running from deep on the carrier’s shoulder and the offload game was devastating. 2 near identical tries, first by George Watson and second, by Captain Tommy Gentleman, scoring his first try of the season. The score which sealed Andover II's promotion and league title. To top it off, despite both tries being touchline conversions, Tommy nailed them both. Final score: Tottonians II 13 – 38 Andover II.

Notwithstanding there’s still 2 more games left of the season. The players, supporters and wider club are right to be incredibly proud of what Andover II achieved this season. The focus was always on performance over result and getting better every time. But in doing that and individuals developing with every game, the results have looked after themselves. We look forward now to finishing the remaining fixtures with the best performances we’re capable of producing.