Winchester lost out 48-38 in an end-to-end encounter with London 2 South-West opponents Old Tonbridgians at Nuns Road.

The hosts had battled back into contention several times after giving their visitors a 19-point start.

OTs’ purple patch came in the first ten minutes, after which, Winchester got to grips with the type of rugby the conditions demanded.

Pick-and-drive phases gave them a foothold in the game with Campbell Ettinger going over twice and Conner Breen converting one.

Number 8 Rob Rees put his side level when he drove over but Tonbridgians struck just before the break to turn around 24-19 up.

Wing Alex Bayliss then got Winch back on equal terms when he dived over the line but OTs’ soon struck again – a penalty and converted try put them ten points ahead.

Winchester though refused to give in and Rees crashed over twice in quick succession to claim his hat-trick and, with the successful conversion, the home side was in front.

However Tonbridgians refused to buckle and crossed once more to hold the upper hand. After soaking up a late Winchester onslaught, their fullback broke free to run the length of the field to seal the victory.

Winchester’s director of rugby, Andy Fields, said: “In rugby the side that deserves to win usually does. This was once again true today as Tonbridgians edged a competitive game. Winchester are a little too easy to score against and need to learn to play the conditions rather than try to run everything from everywhere."