Ventnor crossed the Solent hoping to close the gap between them and Southampton - and also walk off with the Joined at the Hip trophy - but the home side had other ideas and came away victorious in a closely fought contest.

Southampton got off to a flying start with a try from scrum half Tom Howells, who took a quick free kick and dived over for the game's first try. New kicker Tommy Ashby converted and soon after added a penalty for an early 10 - 0 lead.

As Ventnor pushed for a score of their own, Jack Leadbitter was given a yellow card after numerous infringements from Southampton in the red zone when the ref judged he had come in from the side. The visitors kept the pressure on and, despite some dogged defending, crossed the line after a series of crashes from the forwards.

Cam Coffin then earned himself ten minutes on the naughty step after somehow making a high tackle on a 6'5" opponent. Alex Hill then joined him under the posts after his tackle from an offside position prevented a try. The ref awarded a penalty try giving Ventnor a 10 - 12 lead. The indiscipline continued as Josh Fearon also spent some time thinking about what he had done after he bagged himself a yellow card.

The game then swung back in Southampton's favour as Mike Wong grabbed a try, which Tommy Ashby converted for a 17 - 10 lead. Ventnor struck back with a converted try of their own to level the scores, but Tommy Ashby hit another penalty to restore Saints lead at 20 - 17. Jack Leadbitter then sealed the win for Southampton as he broke through the line for a try. But Leadbitter's celebrations didn't last long as he earned himself a second yellow card for repeated offside infringements which saw the ref reach for the red card to signal the end of Jack's involvement in the game.

But despite Ventnor's man advantage, Southampton we able to close out the game without conceding any further points for a crucial win that opens up a gap in the league table between them at fifth and sixth placed Portsmouth. Saints will now focus on closing the gap between them and Romsey, in fourth.

Tommy Ashby earned himself the Man of the Match award for a display of kicking which ultimately won the match for Southampton. Cam Coffin, Josh Fearon, Alex Hill and Jack Leadbitter collectively took the Dick of the Day award after racking up more cards than Clintons.