PUDDLETOWN 12 ELLINGHAM & RINGWOOD III 5

THE Villagers edged a tense Dorset & Wilts Two South encounter at Greenfields thanks to tries from Sam Stockley and Ben Spinney.

They got the win in the end but Puddletown showed only glimpses of the running rugby that they have been playing this season.

Puddletown showed early promise with a flowing move which started when Sam Pomeroy stole a lineout.

Number eight Jumbo Perrett made ground but was tackled just short of the line, before the same thing happened to Jono Wilson.

As in the previous week’s game, Puddletown continued to be penalised for offences at the breakdown.

Ringwood were awarded a penalty 10 metres from the home line and took a quick tap, but the men in red stood their ground and bundled the attack into touch.

Then, from a scrum on halfway, the Villagers won the ball, captain Tom Yeatman found Rocky Watts, he drew the defence and slipped the ball to centre Stockley.

Stockley did what he does best and raced past the flailing Ringwood defence to touch down under the posts. Yeatman converted.

Puddletown were penalised for coming in at the side as they attempted to stop a rolling maul towards the end of the half.

Ringwood ran the resulting penalty and got extra numbers out wide to score a try in the corner.

Watts was sin-binned just before half-time for repeat offences at the breakdown, but despite his absence either side of the break the Ringwood attack failed to take advantage.

The second half was not much of a spectacle, with both sides failing to put sufficient phases together, until Puddletown won an attacking scrum on the Ringwood 10-metre line.

Once again the impressive Perrett picked and drove into the heart of the Ringwood defence.

Baz Dovell, Yeatman and Watts combined to find Spinney on the wing and he scored in the corner for his first Puddletown try.

Puddletown finished the game on top but couldn’t convert their pressure into points, with Ringwood holding on to claim a losing bonus point.