Blues for Weymouth (From Dorset Echo)

Blues for Weymouth

6:30pm Monday 4th March 2013 in Sport By David Williams, Sports Reporter

Walcot 30 Weymouth 10

MISTAKES proved costly for Weymouth as a much-changed side went down to defeat at Walcot.

The visitors were firmly in the hunt for a first Southern Counties South win in five when they trailed 13-10 at the break.

But an interception try and another soft score saw the hosts move clear in the second half.

With injuries and unavailability, Weymouth head coach Paul Harding made nine changes from the team that lost to Supermarine the week before with new combinations in the front, second and back rows as well as in the centre.

And the visitors got off to a nightmare start when a loose pass gifted a try to Walcot, and after that was converted the home side slotted a penalty to take a 10-0 lead with only five minutes gone.

But Weymouth came into the game and enjoyed some good possession and territory either side of the break and they had outside- half Nick Sheppard to thank for hauling them level at 10-10 with a try, conversion and penalty.

His try was all the more satisfying for the fly-half as Sheppard dummied his brother, playing for Weymouth’s opponents, on the way to touching down.

Walcot did lead at the interval with a second penalty but the result was still up for grabs.

However, like they had early in the first period, Weymouth shot themselves in the foot in the second as Walcot ran in an interception try and took full advantage of a mistake by the away side to cross again.

“We actually played some good stuff during the game but unfortunately not all the way through,” said Harding. “We were right in the game at 13-10 down but made two or three errors in the second half and gifted them a couple of tries which was disappointing.

“One was an interception and the other was just a mistake so our errors gave them the game rather than them going and winning it.

“We made it too easy for them and that’s frustrating.

“We didn’t quite have enough on the day and the guys know they should have been closer.”

On his squad problems, he added: “We had nine changes to the side from the last game and we struggled to put a front row together with Tim Comben and Max Vallance unavailable.

“Craig Barter, Will Quick and Mike Robinson were all unavailable so we had new combinations in the front row, second row, back row and centre.”

Weymouth remain ninth out of the 12 teams in the division and have now lost five in a row with fourth-placed Wimborne to come at home on Saturday.

Elsewhere, Weymouth Seconds were a clear second best in their match at Dorset & Wilts Two South leaders East Dorset, going down 65-0 to stay one place off the foot of the table.