TROWBRIDGE 34 DORCHESTER 3

TROWBRIDGE won this game convincingly but the result pales into insignificance given the horrendous injury suffered by Dorchester vice-captain Chris Miners.

Martyn Peel’s visitors trailed by just seven points 10 minutes into the second half when Miners was caught at the bottom of a collapsed maul.

The referee stopped the match immediately and an ambulance was summoned as the seriousness of the injury to Miners’ right leg was clear.

After a 30-minute delay, the game was restarted on another pitch but, unsurprisingly, Dor-chester were unable to play with the same energy and urgency as before.

Trowbridge ran in four tries before the match official sens- ibly blew for time 10 minutes early.

Miners was eventually taken to hospital in Bath and the best wishes of both teams went with him.

“On behalf of the club, I would like to wish Chris a speedy recovery and look forward to see- ing him back on the pitch giving his all next season,” said Dorchester secretary Andrew Smith.

“Our thoughts and best wishes are with him.”

For the record, Dorchester produced another performance of guts, determination and no little skill in the first half.

The only scores in the first period were a converted try for the hosts and a well-struck penalty by Jamie Morgan for the visitors.

A simple penalty by the Trowbridge fly-half extended the lead just prior to the unfortunate injury stoppage.

Dorchester: Miners, Pengelly, Cottell, Broadbent, Makepeace, Jones, Newsam, Mitchell, Gower, Clark, Lynch, Harvey, Waddington, Morgan, Fry. Reps used: Evans, Dixon, Paton.