Ross deservedly secured bragging rights after a 22-6 victory at Westbury last Saturday, where they showed composure and skill in equal measure.

Ross got off to a dream start, opening the scoring within two minutes from the kick off. Alibob secured the ball at scrum half. Ben Element moved the ball into the midfield where his brother, Josh, burst through two tackles before offloading to Billy Hambling, who found winger, Jordan Marsall. He stepped inside, then out, before accelerating through a gap into the Westbury half, and with pace to spare, scored under the posts. Lee Osbourne converted and Ross were 7-0 ahead.

Ross continued to look to move the bigger Westbury pack around the field. Twice Ross engineered overlaps, but the crucial try scoring pass went begging and slowly the home side began to get into the game.

A couple of close call penalties saw Westbury earn a five metre lineout. They looked to drive the ball over the line, but the Ross defence held firm, with forwards and backs putting their bodies on the line.

Read the full report in this week’s Ross Gazette