MARTYN Richards felt the damp and blustery conditions were a big leveller in Saturday’s loss against Weymouth at Redlands.

The Dorchester skipper was left extremely frustrated after the derby defeat but has vowed his troops will bounce back from the disappointment.

He told Echosport: “The conditions can sometimes be a real leveller and that proved to be the case on Saturday.

“Weymouth lost a rain-affected game against Wimborne & Colehill a couple of weeks ago so they will know just how we feel.

“The fact their target was reduced from 149 to 124 off 33 overs after an earlier rain delay made a big difference but they still had to knock them off in tricky conditions so fair play to them.

“We are obviously disappointed, particularly having lost the previous week as well, but we also know we are capable of beating any side in this division and will bounce back in the games ahead.”

The result ended a run of five straight victories for Dorchester over Weymouth but Matt Lawes was eager to play the rivalry down.

The Seasiders’ vice-captain added: “It is always nice to win any game no matter who it is against but more importantly it is just nice to get out there and play.

“We played the conditions well and the way we knocked off the runs at the end was fantastic.”

The Seasiders now sit four points above Dorchester in the Dorset Premier League in fifth place.