In this fiercely contested battle for the only available promotion spot Bognor avenged their narrow defeat of last December with a bonus-point win to leapfrog above their Hampshire rivals. So, with just two tough matches left (Chichester away and Millbrook at home) Bognor’s future lies very much in their own hands but, in a topsy-turvy league where anyone can beat anyone on the day, they are certainly not going to be taking anything for granted.

All the early pressure came from Portsmouth who were clearly determined to impose themselves on their much less experienced opponents. After just five minutes their dominance was rewarded when their prop crashed over for the first try of the game. The visitors looked a much more complete outfit than they did in December, their big forwards carrying strongly as expected, but also showing some deft handling skills to link with their backs. Bognor were just hanging on at this stage, only a dropped pass out wide preventing Portsmouth from going further ahead.

Scrum-half Alfie Spurle cleared his line well on two occasions to give his side some breathing space but, with twenty minutes on the clock, Bognor had managed virtually no meaningful territory or possession. For their part, Portsmouth were enjoying demonstrating to the large crowd exactly why they were sitting top of the table, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to imagine how the end result was going to be anything but an emphatic win for the visitors.

After twenty-five minutes the Portsmouth No.8 was yellow-carded for a spear tackle and this allowed Bognor finally to start launching some attacks of their own. A quickly-taken tap penalty saw the home side cross the line but the ball was adjudged to have been held up and it was the visitors’ turn to breathe a sigh of relief.

Their respite did not last long, however, Bognor’s dangerous backs finally clicking into gear and moving the ball quickly into the open spaces. Connor Herrington made the initial break before handing on to Adam Halligan and, when stopped, the young full-back found winger Charlie Spray who sprinted clear to score his side’s first try. Halligan’s conversion meant that, against run of play, the two sides were now even on the scoreboard. This was building up nicely to be a cracking game.

Portsmouth responded immediately, reinstating their superiority by scoring an excellent try of their own and, with half-time approaching, it looked as if Bognor would be reasonably happy to turn round with a five-point deficit. However, Harrison Southern had other ideas and the young flanker smashed his way over to draw the scores level again.

In truth, Bognor had been on the receiving end for much of the half and so were relieved to be level on the scoreboard but also quietly confident that, with a strong wind behind them, their best was yet to come.

Thanks to some indiscipline from Bognor at the start of the second half Portsmouth were awarded two penalties and they began to rebuild the momentum they had enjoyed in the first half, only to concede a second yellow card which allowed the home side to clear their line.

Second-row Tom Orchard, on for the ever-industrious James Rimmer, made an immediate impact by tearing into the heart of the visitors’ defence. The momentum was now clearly shifting to Bognor but the final pass was not quite going to hand.

Time for Jeremy Newton-Young to spot a mismatch in front of him, zoom through the gap and sprint thirty metres to the line without a hand being laid on him.

With Bognor now in the lead for the first time in the match Freddie Hayes, whose footwork the visitors remembered from the first match, ran clear and it took some desperate defence to clear from his chip ahead.

Bognor’s much smaller pack had now turned the tables and, after several close-range drives, Jamie Foote crashed over for the bonus-point try, Halligan’s conversion giving his side a twelve-point cushion.

Portsmouth fought their way to Bognor’s line for a final flourish but some superb defence by the home side kept their line intact until the final whistle to earn themselves a well-deserved victory.

Next week’s match at Oaklands Park would be spicy enough in normal circumstances but the fact that Chichester will be doing their best to destroy Bognor’s promotion hopes means that another epic battle awaits in front of what is sure to be a bumper crowd. (KO 3pm)

Leighton Thomas