IT was a successful weekend for Jersey players at the Hampshire county rugby trials at Winchester, with a 100 per cent pass rate on to the next stage.

The quartet of U14s, Dominic Mayo, Harry Cochrane, Edward Howgate and George Banks, have all been asked back for the second and final session of trial matches on 11 January, also at Winchester. Jersey U14 coach Mick Mayo said: ‘All the boys did really well. Harry had one and half games at scrum-half and another at full back; Dominic had three at centre; George two as a hooker and one at prop; and Ed two at openside flanker – and one at loosehead prop!’ All four are being supported by Clive Barton of Moore Stephens.

Also taking part in a U20s trial match at Winchester were Jersey’s Joe Ellyatt, Mark Livesey and David Felton, with all three impressing enough, despite a host of substitutions in a defeat against a President’s Select, to be invited back to play in another match at London Irish tonight. A fourth player, Tom Faulkner, now at Newbury, is still recovering from a shoulder injury, though he did attend the trial meeting.

Another player gunning for Hampshire representative honours, this time at U17 level, is Jersey Youth forward Tom Ellis, who will attend trials at Trojans RFC on Sunday, 4 January. The Under 15s have seven nominations for the trials in January – Jack Burroughs, Jonathan Crawford,Luke Huelin, Chris Levesley , Nathan Pinel, Tom Seedhouse and Bradley Stratford.

• Picture: Tom Ellis, in action against Guernsey’s U16s