A gritty team performance and a sparkling all-round display from fly-half Graham Noble ensured a Romsey victory in this replayed match at the Sports Centre last Saturday.

Although the two sides fielded multiple changes, the game followed a very similar pattern to the previous match. Romsey forwards dominated for the first twenty minutes when the home side were rarely out of the opponents' 22, but went unrewarded until JJ Barber burst over for a try which was converted by Noble.

Noble had suffered a facial injury in the very first foray of the game and had been sidelined for a good ten minutes. But on his return he certainly made his presence felt.

In routine fly-half functions he's totally dependable, but his overall reading of the game and his stupendous performance in the tackle tally were outstanding and made him man of the match for Romsey. A completely unexpected dropped-goal bringing his points tally to eleven, was possibly his piece his piece de resistance, putting Romsey's noses ahead again in what was a pulsating match.

A splendid forward's try by Tim Darby had contributed to a winning position for Romsey, but the visitors were not finished and mounted wave after wave of attack in a valiant attempt to thwart their efforts.

A try very late in the game gave Old Emanuel the chance to snatch victory but the conversion attempt failed and Romsey staggered out winners by one point.

The confirmed result lifts them above their opponents at the foot of the South West Four league table.

And so, Romsey's fulminations at being denied victory only two weeks previously were completely vindicated. Both clubs have been put to extreme inconvenience and unnecessary expense to satisfy the vagaries of competition regulations regarding uncontested scrums.