With the sun in their eyes Dorchester started brightly enough and gained the advantage from the boot of Rossiter’s penalty kick, but then let Salisbury play the game that Dorchester wanted to play. After a dominant first scrummage, the forwards failed to maintain the early pressure of the youthful Salisbury pack, leading to the first try of the game, advantage Salisbury.
Salisbury continued to exert pressure, having a good forward move held up on the line, but a few minutes later a turnover led to them going over to score and with the subsequent successful conversion held a 3 – 12 lead.
Only some gutsy defence prevented Salisbury from going further ahead and with half time looming, a further three points from both sides saw Dorchester trailing 6 – 15 at the break. The message from the coaches was to stop playing in awe of the opposition and go out and boss the game. This they were to do to great effect both in the open play and the scrummaging.
Dorchester now had the sun on their backs and shortly after the re-start saw Dave Gower force his way over in the left corner, James Rossiter missing a difficult conversion. A further difficult penalty missed and Joe Gower being replaced by the returning Vice Captain Jon Firkin, Dorchester were now playing with a purpose that one felt would tell on an opposition who’s heads where starting to drop.
Half way through the second period a move that started on the left, quick ball saw the ball passed out to Elliott who cut the Salisbury defence in two, only to be tackled just short of the try line, but he managed to offload for Bament who scored in the right hand corner. Rossiter added the extra two points with an excellent conversion.
With the forwards now securing a platform for the second phase ball, the rest of the half belonged to Dorchester who out-rucked, out tackled and out-played the visitors in all areas of the game. The only score from Salisbury in the second half came as a result of a mistake between the Dorchester centres in the Salisbury 22.
Dorchester importantly matured in this game and with other results going their way Warminster’s game being called off in the second half Dorchester move up to third in the table with a game in hand. Cup action takes precedence next weekend with a trip to Marlborough in the Dorset & Wilts Vase round one.
Success was all the more impressive for Dorchester given that their visitors had only conceded 12 points in their opening three fixtures.
Dorchester A XV narrowly lost 27- 24 away to Wimborne II and are also in Dorset & Wilts cup action next weekend, away to Blandford.
Weatherbury Hearn- SEC - JW Scaffolding Man of the Match: Jack Elliott
Boyt (Cottell 55), Chalker, Hodgson, Hodges, King (Broadbent 60), T Gower, D Gower (Cap’t), Newsam, Weller, Rossiter, Elliott, J Gower (Firkin 50), Biddle, Baker, Bament
