WALCOT 32 DORCHESTER 17

DORCHESTER fell short in the end but could take heart from a much-improved performance.

Both sides produced a thoroughly entertaining Southern Counties South game which was played in appalling conditions.

With the wind blowing diagonally across the pitch the hosts decided to take advantage of the elements in the first period and immediately went on the attack.

Dorchester’s defence held firm until the Walcot winger reacted fasted to a grubber through the line and touched down for the opening score.

The try was converted from the touchline by the home fly-half who then scored the second try himself and again converted to give Walcot a 14-0 lead.

The hosts then became a little over-confident and paid the price when Rory Greening intercepted a loose pass as Walcot tried to attack from their own 22.

But Walcot added a third try when their veteran second row benefited from an overlap on the left wing.

As the first period came to a close, Dorchester had a rare period of pressure.

Awarded a penalty, they elected to run it and, after a couple of phases, Callum King found a yard of space on the left touchline.

He collected his own chip ahead and dived over to close the gap to nine points at the break.

The visitors appeared to lose concentration at the start of the second period and were punished when Walcot drove over from a five-metre line-out.

Dorchester refocused and, for the next 20 minutes, the game was pretty even.

The visitors’ scrum looked solid and the line-out worked better than in previous weeks, and after several minutes on the Walcot line, King found a gap in the home defence to score his second try.

Baker’s conversion closed the gap to just seven points and, for a moment, it looked as though Dorchester might get something out of the game.

However, as so often happens, Dorchester infringed straight from the kick-off and the easy penalty was kicked to widen the gap once again.

Then, as Dorchester chased the game, a dropped ball in midfield was snapped up by the hosts’ centre who sprinted away for the final score of the day.

Dorchester stay bottom of the table, two points behind Frome, and host North Dorset next.

Dorchester: Ritchie, Cottell, Hodgson, L King, Hallett, Sharpe, Arnold, S Jones, De Kretser, C King, Haskell, Greening, Baker, Deakin, G Foot, Warren, Harries, C McQuillan