PUDDLETOWN 26

BLANDFORD 14

PUDDLETOWN came back from a 14-7 half-time deficit to confidently dispatch Blandford, with James Elwood scoring a hat-trick in the Dorset & Wilts Senior Vase quarter-final.

Despite the blustery conditions, both sides quickly settled, playing some open and attractive rugby to entertain the large crowd.

The visitors looked the more composed in the set-pieces, but Puddletown always threatened in open play.

Midway through the half, a penalty some 40 metres out gave the home side the chance to open the scoring, but James Elwood’s long kick just drifted wide of the posts.

Instead it was Blandford who, just minutes later, took a 7-0 lead, their inside-centre bursting through to score under the posts following a well-worked line-out move.

Coach Paul Chidley’s half-time team talk obviously fired up his troops as within a couple of minutes of the restart the Villagers were level, front row Jez Beale powering over and fly-half Elwood adding the extras.

However, two minutes later, the visitors hit back with another converted try.

The wind was against Puddletown and the Blandford fly-half pinned them back in their own half.

With the Blandford pack pressing forward, Tom Doyle ripped the ball in a tackle on his own 22, the ball was fed out to replacement centre Matt Watts who seared through the Blandford defence, some interplay between Watts and Elwood left the latter clear to run in under the posts.

Elwood then converted his own try to make it 14-14.

Blandford continued to batter the Puddletown try line, but the heroic home defence held out.

The visitors twice turned down the opportunity of easily kickable points and opting for the scrum, but to no avail.

Once again, it was Elwood who broke the deadlock, hacking a ball through from his own half and eventually gathering it safely in front of the floundering full-back and scampering in to score another converted try.

Puddletown now looked the better side and with five minutes left, it was the combination of Watts and Elwood that again proved positive for the home side.

Watts broke through tackles on his own 10-metre line and offloaded to Elwood, who somehow found space and pace to arc around the outside of the tiring Blandford defence and went over to score his hat-trick try.

This time though he could not add the extras for a final score of 26-14.

Coach Paul Chidley named hat-trick hero James Elwood his man of the match.

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