Dorchester opened their Southern Counties account with a bonus point victory over Bath based Oldfield OB. Apart from a short spell in the second half there was plenty of signs of improvement from last week but still plenty of room for improvement.
Dorchester started slowly and found themselves six points down after ten minutes, the visitors kicking two simple penalties as Dorchester infringed at the breakdown. The hosts were finding it difficult to establish any field position as Oldfield were making good use of the wind to pin them back in their own twenty two.
Gradually the Dorchester forwards began to get the measure of their opponents and, after twenty minutes, Rich Bament closed the gap with a straight forward penalty kick. By now the Dorchester backs were beginning to find some gaps in the Oldfield defence and, following a sharp break by fly half Adam Jones, the attack was switched to the blind side and left wing Jamie Morgan had the pace to get round and under the posts. Bament added the extras and Dorchester reached the break leading by four points.
Dorchester dominated the next twenty five minutes, Adam Jones popped over the scruffiest of drop goals, but they all count, followed by a second Bament penalty. It was then Rich Bament whose break and offload led to Dorchester’s second try, scored in the left hand corner by Adam Jones. Bament’s conversion attempt shaved the wrong side of the post. Oldfield then infringed at the restart and from the resulting scrum Tom Bamlet and Dave Gower combined to release fullback Matt Read to cross for try number three. Again the conversion attempt shaved the wrong side of the post.
With a twenty point lead Dorchester should have closed the game out comfortably. Instead they lost concentration and allowed Oldfield to score two converted tries in five minutes and the visitors were on their way to a remarkable comeback. A few choice words from coach Mike Sprules had the desired effect however and Dorchester refocused to add a fourth try through Rich Bament. The same player added the conversion from the touchline and then finished the game with a third penalty goal.
Acheson Construction man of the match: Adam Makepeace
Team: Cottell (Richards 55), Pengelly, Prior, Hodges, Makepeace, Gower J (Miller 60), Newsam, Bamlet; D Gower, Jones; Pryce (Clifford 65), Bament, Harvey, Morgan; Read;
