NEW MILTON II 17

DORCHESTER 52

DORCHESTER got back to winning ways with a routine 52-17 bonus point win away at New Milton Seconds in Dorset & Wilts One South.

With an 11-point gap to second-placed Dorset Dockers at the top, Dorchester remain favourites for promotion with five games left.

Despite a confident start from the hosts, the county town side opened the scoring with a simple penalty by James Baker.

Gaps soon started to appear in the home defence and right wing George Foot was the first to cross the try line. Baker, who kicked eight from eight from the tee, converted from wide out.

Callum King was next to add his name to the list of scorers before scrum-half Jake Bosher set up James Newsam for try number three and then scored himself with a dart from the base of the ruck. With the bonus point secured, Dorchester went into the break in high spirits.

New Milton now had the wind behind them and made Dorchester work hard for further tries.

Eventually the pressure told and Steve Tucker got the touchdown as the visitors’ scrum drove their opponents back over their own line.

Cameron Wills, making his first-team debut off the bench, then continued the remarkable run of Dorchester’s youth system scoring on their first appearance.

Finally, Joe Underhill completed the visitors’ try scoring, coming up with the ball following a perfectly executed line-out catch and drive.

However, with time running out Dorchester appeared to lose focus and the hosts, who had never stopped battling, ran in three quick tries to finish the match on a high.

Dorchester’s vice-captain James Baker is now second in the list of all-time points scorers at the club with 1,144 and only club legend Geraint Hughes sits above him on 3,122.

Baker also sits equal third in the list of top try scorers at the club with 101, the list being topped by Tony Foot on 134.

Meanwhile, Dorchester’s A XV overcame Ellingham & Ringwood Seconds 46-20 while the Gladiators fell 46-7 away to Swanage & Wareham Thirds.

Dorchester next face Lytchett Minster on Saturday in Dorset & Wilts One South (3pm).

n All three Dorchester clubs play at home on Saturday, while both Dorchester and Weymouth will come together in the second Weldmar Men’s Rugby Walk from Coburg Road to Weymouth RFC.

Weldmar is Dorchester’s supported local charity, and Weymouth will remember their former captain Julian Quick who was cared for by the hospice.

Following the walk, the final three games of the Six Nations will be shown in both clubhouses.

Details to join this special event can be found on the Weldmar website.