WEYMOUTH & PORTLAND 44

WIMBORNE II 5

WEYMOUTH & PORTLAND rounded off their 2021/22 Tribute Dorset & Wilts One South season with a comfortable 44-5 success over Wimborne Seconds at Monmouth Avenue.

Victory, the Seahorses’ 14th in 20 league games, cements third place in the standings for the second successive completed season.

Rich Bament’s men were also just six points off second place, with long-time leaders Blandford finishing just out of reach and North Dorset winning the title having won 18 matches.

Matt Savage kicked a penalty to get Weymouth & Portland rolling, before Wimborne edged ahead with a try stemming from a line-out.

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Weymouth responded when Joe Gibson broke through for a try underneath the posts, converted by Savage for 10-5 and the hosts immediately made it 17-5 from the kick-off.

Fast hands shifted the ball quickly from side-to-side after Scott Greaney made up good ground, enabling Ben Davies to score a converted try.

Savage was again instrumental as he set up Rory Legg for another try but then sat in the sin-bin for a high tackle.

However, the Seahorses continued to have the upper hand and Will Quick outpaced the Minstermen’s defence twice before half-time for unconverted tries.

Andy Bowditch continued the try-scoring in the second half, before Greaney crossed to complete the victory – both tries going unconverted.

Speaking to Echosport, Bament said: “I was pretty pleased.

“I still had a grumble at half-time because I wasn’t very happy with some of the things we were doing, even though it was the last game of the season.

“We didn’t really impose ourselves and we lived off their mistakes, it was quite scrappy. Somehow we did manage to score five tries in the first half.

“It was one of those games, it probably should’ve been a lot more.”

Bament did express his satisfaction with another third place in the league, however.

He said: “It was nip and tuck all the way through with Blandford and North Dorset but we’ve just come up short.

“Fair play to North Dorset, they thoroughly deserved to win the league. They’ve been the stand-out team and Blandford have come on strong.

“Third, I can’t grumble about that. It stands us in good stead for next season with two third-placed finished.”

Asked how the Seahorses can break into the top two in 2022/23, Bament said: “It’s hard, really. It’s me finding ways to take them on to the next level.

“It’s a challenge for myself and for the players. We’ve got the basics and keeping a cool head in certain areas of the pitch.

“Hopefully we can push on but we can only push on as much as the players want to push on.

“They’re really good, take everything on board and are eager to learn. You can’t ask for much more than that.”