BRIDPORT 4

BOURNEMOUTH POPPIES 2

BRIDPORT picked up their first higher-league scalp of pre-season with a 4-2 win over Bournemouth Poppies at a drenched St Mary’s Field.

Poppies, who play at Step 5 in the Velocity Wessex League Premier Division, are one tier above South West Peninsula League side Bridport.

However, if they can replicate this performance, Bridport showed a promising season lies in store as they took the lead through Tom Richardson.

Darren Lock was involved in the build-up and fed Harley Brook, the youngster continuing his impressive summer with an assist as he picked out Richardson to fire home.

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Poppies responded quickly when a through ball caught out Bridport’s defence and Josh Mantle fired past Archie Kershaw in the Bees' goal to level.

The sides went in 1-1 at the break but Bridport soon sprinted into a healthy lead, sparked by a brilliant second for George Calverley.

Luke King’s diagonal ball found the left-back and he cut inside to hammer a beauty home from distance.

Riley Weedon then provided for Sol Ayunga, his dinked ball over the top creating a chance which the striker buried for 3-1.

Bridport were now in full flow and another entertaining move saw King and Kieran Daniels involved before Brad Rowe’s ball in found James Cox who smashed home into the top bracket.

Kershaw did well to deny Mantle a second, deflecting his shot onto the base of the post, but there was nothing he could do about Poppies’ second strike.

With Bridport down to ten men through injury, Joe Freak stole in to convert Danny Hansford’s cross for 4-2 and some sort of consolation for the east Dorset side.

Speaking post-match, Bridport boss Chris Herbst said: “I’m very happy, we played very well.

“The first 30 minutes they had a lot of the ball and we dug in. Then, when we started winning second balls we really started taking the game to them.

“It was a very good performance.”

Bridport welcome Dorset Premier League side Balti Sports to St Mary’s Field on Thursday (7.45pm).

Bees: Kershaw, Calverley, Baggs, Leader, King, Brook, Lock, Daniels, Weedon, Ayunga, Richardson. Subs: Rowe, Baker, Childs, Coombs, Cox, Parsons.