Effingham & Leatherhead 6 Andover 56 A superb hat-trick of tries from giant lock-forward Chris "Monster" Collins (pictured) shattered the ambitions of former Andover coach Simon Dear on Saturday, as HSA-sponsored Andover smashed their way to their first away win of the season, writes Andy Waite. Dear's new charges were never a match for Andover, and were firmly put in their place as the Town team took a giant step towards securing their London South Division Two status. Indeed, a win at home against bottom club Maidenhead tomorrow (Saturday) should see Andover home and dry; and with the added incentive of avenging the away defeat earlier in the season, the Town side should need no further motivation to continue their outstanding recent form. From the start Andover set out their stall against a side who clearly fancied their chances. Both teams made early chances with some excellent open rugby, but after an early exchange of penalties Andover moved up a gear. Collins grabbed his first score, and soon after Marc Wilding added a second, with a second Keith Mitchell penalty giving Andover a 16-3 lead. Any thoughts of a home recovery were soon dashed as, from the kick-off, Andover ran in their third try of the game. Some slick interpassing saw the irrepressible Collins pop up on the wing to grab his second, and Andover were out of sight. Mitchell converted, and the rest of the half was a procession as Effingham folded. Collins completed a fine hat-trick, a feat in itself for a second row, but even after that he popped up in support of Fijian winger Tiko Viliamu as he scored a neat brace himself. There were further tries for veteran Dave Sussex and centre Nick Rowe as Andover ran riot. Mitchell added five out of eight conversions to complete the rout, and afterwards the player-coach was cock-a-hoop. He said: "I am so proud of the boys today. They made the opposition look very ordinary and played with real passion. "I asked for more commitment, and the response has been superb. Chris Collins has been a revelation and Tiko has given us a real cutting edge. Marc Wilding, Tiko and Craig Patterson all made a great effort to get here from fire strike duty and Adie Furness journeyed from Exeter University to make the game. That is the spirit that will see us through." As for Dear, the former Harlequin could only look on in envy as Andover revelled in his discomfort.
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