Andover I 19pts

High Wycombe I 10pts

HSA sponsored Andover 1st XV went into last Saturday's friendly against High Wycombe with a much changed side with the coaching duo Keith Mitchell and Paul Dodds deciding the time was right to experiment.

Player-coach Keith, back after after being away for two weeks on an excercise with the Army, dropped himself to the bench, Lester Culley took over as skipper for the day and moved to scrum half while Chris Reilly took over at stand-off. Other changes saw Paul Griffiths return to the second row, Lawrence Leask come in at prop and Brian Asuncion switch to hooker while Mark Bissell and Lee Cowley waited on the sidelines if needed.

"We needed to have a look at the back up and the options we have available look good, " said Mitchell. High Wycombe play in Southern Counties North, a league equal to that of Andover, and so provided a good test in between league matches. There was little between the two sides in the first half, with both sides creating chances as they pushed runners up the middle of the park but most of them were thwarted by excellent cover, with the home side's open defence looking better than in previous games.

The visitors however took a 3-0 lead from a penalty but it only served to spur on the local All Blacks and good forward possession set up Eric 'Twinkle Toes' Butadroka on the right wing to score unchallenged from 30 metres out.

Reilly missed the extras and Andover still had their narrow advantage before the first-half fizzled out, but not before some great running by Tony Worle, Dan Culley and Shane Corcoran.

The start of the second half, with Cowley coming on for Leask, saw Andover take the game to the visitors and with Asuncion taking over the throwing at the line-out Andover won good ball but, despite the pressure, High Wycombe held out until Mitchell entered the fray for the last 25 minutes, with Reilly returning to the wing and Culley to the other half-back position.

Andover pressure however finally told on 58 minutes with a try in the corner from full-back Ben Maloney. Mitchell added the conversion from the touch-line and into the wind with his first kick of the game, and Andover went on to score again through Asuncion and Mitchell again added the extras to give Andover a 19-3 cushion.

Andover then relaxed their grip on the game and gave away penalty after penalty, and High Wycombe, electing not to kick, finally crossed the home line with a deserved try from their forwards. The visitors added the conversion to complete the scoring but Andover never really looked in trouble, but found it difficult to get out of first gear.

Afterwards Mitchell said: "It was a very good test, especially with all the changes, and obviously I am happy with the result.

"If we continue to win our league games we will get promotion. It doesn't matter how many points we win by, the number one priority is winning.

"There is plenty for Doddy and myself to look at over the next couple of weeks and I was happy with the way that the lads adapted to the changes.

"I put them under pressure before the kick-off and told them to get on with it, as if it had been a league game. They delivered the win and I cannot ask for anymore than that."

Andover travel away to University Vandals this Saturday and the week after meet Old Guildfordians at home in a top-of-the-table-clash, a side that boasts a former England A and Harlequins stand-of who is a talented goal kicker. If the right result is achieved for Mitchell's side this could be the game that lines them up for promotion, as they will go four points clear with five games to play.

Andover 1st XV: Worle, Asuncion, Leask; Griffiths Collins; McNair, Culley (D), Corcoran; Culley (L) (capt), Reilly; Pearson, Runciman, Rowe (N), Butadroka; Maloney. Replacements: Mitchell (G), Bissell, Cowley.