Dorchester started their league season with a very encouraging performance away at Corsham. Four splendid tries and some accurate goal kicking proved to be too much for the committed but limited hosts.
With temperatures soaring the visitors played up the slope in the first period and were soon on the board. Fly half Adam Jones kicking an easy penalty as the home side strayed offside. A second, more difficult, penalty attempt was missed but Dorchester continued to have the upper hand.
Eventually Corsham worked their way into the game by using their big forwards to drive round the fringes and with excellent ball retention they opened up the Dorchester defence and crossed for the first try of the game.
The forward battle was fairly evenly contested but Corsham’s midfield defence was looking distinctly fragile. Debutant Jamie Morgan was the first to take advantage with a searing break, which was stopped only metres short of the line. Then fullback Matt Read found another huge gap and raced in under the posts. Minutes later Lee Harvey produced an action reply, stretching his long legs to score Dorchester’s second try. Adam Jones converted both tries and kicked two further penalties to send Dorchester in at the break with a comfortable 23-5 lead.
Corsham needed to produce something special if they were to get anything out of the match and to their credit they did just that. Forcing a lineout in the Dorchester twenty two, the forwards forced their way over to close the gap. The visitors, however, were in no mood to give up the advantage and a further Jones penalty kept Corsham at arms length.
A breakaway try by Corsham set Dorchester’s nerves on edge before right winger Tom Caines finished off an excellent team try in the corner, Jones again converted and the two points looked to be in the bag.
There was time for the Corsham forwards to force their way over from another catch and drive in the right hand corner but Dorchester had the final word, Caines again finishing well in the corner following good work from backs and forwards.
Acheson Construction man of the match: A excellent team performance it would be unfair to pick an individual.
