OAKMEADIANS 41

WEYMOUTH & PORTLAND 7

WEYMOUTH & Portland were handed their 12th Dorset & Wilts One South defeat of the season as Oakmeadians took revenge for a defeat earlier this season by securing a 41-7 win at Meyrick Park.

It was apparent from the opening 20 minutes that Weymouth would not repeat October’s 17-10 win over Oaks, as their hosts ran in four tries in 10 minutes to establish a commanding lead.

The Seahorses did battle back, with second row Ben Billington scoring a try, but some solid second-half defensive play was followed by a collapse as Oakmeadians ran in three more scores.

Speaking to Echosport after the encounter, coach Simon Litster felt his side was playing “catch-up rugby” after their poor start.

He said: “We lost it in the first 20 minutes, we just didn’t start. They scored four quick tries in the space of about 10 minutes – we were playing catch-up rugby.

“We did score a try and held them before they scored three quick tries in the second half. I was happy with the way we played in the second half, but losing 7-1 in tries was disappointing.

“We did welcome back a couple of players, Dan Hayne and Mike Robinson, without them it would have been worse. They played as a partnership in the centre which helped us quite a lot.

“They shored up our defence in the middle of the field, but it was sloppy mistakes in the first 20 minutes. The conditions didn’t help, it was muddy and rainy but it was poor for both teams.”

Talking through the positives, Litster felt that Hayne and Robinson’s return boosted his side, and also praised his troops for improved discipline.

“Our try was a result of several good phases of play.

“We switched our full-back Lewis Richards to flanker and he had a good game, so I think he’s found his position. We welcomed Tim Comben, he shored us up.

“No yellow cards, so that’s useful! Dan and Mike made a difference for us and were one of the reasons we kept the score low in the second half. Hopefully they will be available for the rest of the season,” Litster said.

Litster also praised Oaks for an enhanced display after their earlier defeat at Monmouth Avenue.

He said: “Their full-back was very good and was choosing the right point of counter-attack – he was a smart player.

“They were the better team and better than the one we faced in October. All credit to them, they were a good side and took advantage of the conditions.”

Seashorses: Hamilton, Sankey, Comben, Billington, Leatham, A Bowditch, Hayne, Morrison, Allan, Savage, Harris, Richards, Robinson, Young, Farley. Reps: Tibble, Skinner, Orlacchio, Glover

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