On a beautiful autumn afternoon Dorchester slipped out of the Vase, losing a game that they should have had wrapped up long before two late tries from the visitors stole the victory.
The home side dominated the early exchanges but it was the visitors who scored first. The referee, unsighted, missed a huge knock on and the North Dorset wing strolled over for a easy score under the posts. Dorchester continued to have the better of things territorially but the visiting backs always looked the more dangerous and they extended the lead with an unconverted try in the left hand corner.
Dorchester swept back onto the attack and finally a concerted attacked allowed No 8 Dixon to cross for Dorchester's opening try. Rich Bament, so often the hero for Dorchester, had a miserable day with the boot and missed the conversion. Just before the break, with a north Dorset prop in the bin for persistent offending. Dochester leveled the scores when Tom Clifford dived over by the posts and Bament succeeded with the conversion.
The second period continued with the hosts on the front foot and five minutes in they took the lead, James Newsam crashing over from close range. For the next thirty minutes the game ebbed and flowed with Dorchester unable get the score that might have closed the game out and North Dorset failing to make anything of several good scoring opportunities.
With only minutes remaining Jo Mitchell was forced to leave the pitch with a damaged rib and so Dorchester, having used up their quota of replacements, had to play out the rest of the game a man short. It looked as though they would survive until they lost control of the ball at a ruck and a North Dorset boot sent the ball deep into Dorchester territory. The host's scramble defence appeared to have snuffed out the threat but the visitors managed to recycle the ball and their left winger had an easy run in for the clinching try. The conversion was successful and then to rub salt into the wound the visitors other wing scored another try at the death as Dorchester threw caution to wind in the hunt for an equalizing score.
Acheson Construction Man of the Match: Adam Makepeace
Team: Duncan (Warren 65), Woodbridge (Chalker 65), Cottell, J Mitchell, Makepeace, J Gower (Broadbent 60), Newsam, Dixon; D Gower, Bament; Baker, Clifford, Harvey, Waddington; Read.
