ELLINGHAM & Ringwood maintained their 100 per cent winning start to 2016 with a hard-fought 15-8 victory over Snows Group Hampshire One strugglers Locksheath Pumas.

A large crowd at the Raymond Brown Memorial Ground were treated to a game which was played at an intense pace with ferocity from both sides at the contact area.

However, it was also littered with handling errors, meaning neither team could get any pattern to their play.

When Ellingham eventually strung together some passes they looked dangerous and centre Callum Butler opened the scoring with a good try in the corner.

And with the last touch of the first half, wing three-quarter Chris Frost scored in the opposite corner to give the hosts a 10-0 lead at the break.

Although the Pumas kicked a penalty to reduce the arrears early in the second half, Ellingham full-back Josh Butcher finished off another good move with a try in the corner to make it 15-3.

Locksheath came back strongly and scored a try to make it 15-8, which made for a nervous final 15 minutes for the home crowd.

But Ellingham held firm as they made it a hat-trick of league wins since the turn of the year.

  • George Johnson’s try and a conversion and penalty from Nathan Brown proved in vain as Oakmeadians suffered a 20-10 defeat at Sherborne in Dorset & Wilts One South.

Jeff Sandley, Ben Smoker, Tom Chilvers and Levi Huntingdon were among the try-scorers in Oaks’ 46-12 win over Dorset & Wilts Three South rivals Swanage & Wareham. Chilvers added the conversions.