MARLBOROUGH 45 DORCHESTER 12

UNAVAILABILITIES, late withdrawals and injuries meant that Dorchester made the long journey to Marlborough with just 16 players, several of whom were not fully fit.

The hosts made their intentions clear as they threw the ball about from the off.

However, struggling Dorchester turned the ball over and kicked into the corner.

The Marlborough stand-off was caught and inexplicably punched the the county town tackler.

The referee had no choice but to produce the red card.

Dorchester kicked the resultant penalty into the corner and then drove over for the opening score, Adam Makepeace getting the touchdown.

The lead was to be short-lived, the visitors kicked to the Marlborough full-back who proceeded to run through the entire Dorchester team without a hand being laid on him and scored under the posts.

Following the all-action start the game then settled down, Dorchester’s scrum was under severe pressure but they managed to restrict their opponents to second converted try and a penalty in the rest of the first half.

Dorchester now faced 40 minutes up the hill and into the wind and with at least two of the side hobbling.

To their credit, the visitors battled manfully on and despite conceding four more tries never looked like capitulating.

Indeed they scored a second try themselves, a driving line-out making fully 20 metres before Tom Arnold touched down and James Baker converted.

Dorchester: J Underhill, Pengelly, Elliott, L King, Hodgson, Arnold, Robson, Makepeace, Bosher, Foot, Bowden, Baker, M Evans, Deakin, Clark, Milford