Powergen Junior Vase Round Three South West

Bridport 40: Supermarine 5

BRIDPORT entertained the Supermarine club from Swindon in this third round of the competition.

The intended opposition were Marlborough, who had beaten Supermarine in the previous round but were subsequently disqualified for fielding an ineligible player. Thus Supermarine came to the Brewery Field.

It was an interesting contest as Supermarine head Dorset and Wilts Division One North while Bridport head Division One South.

The Blues cut loose quickly with some sharp play by the backs. Bridport stand-off Brett Frampton scored three fast and almost identical tries within the first quarter of the game.

Skilled forward play from mauls and rucks presented clean ball to scrum-half Chris Scadding who rifled the ball out to Frampton who, in turn, was able to exploit the gaps in the visitors' cover and put the ball down under the posts. Each of the three tries was converted by Aaron Holmes.

Winger Steffan McMasters scored his usual try in his favoured right corner with Chris Backhouse taking a turn at a successful conversion.

It was fast and breathtaking rugby. Supermarine were stunned by the cracking start and realised they had to get their act together fast to stay in the game. They managed to slow the pace a little but tackling and ambition were both lacking.

Scadding charged down a poor defensive kick by the visitors and had the luck of the bounce to take the ball over for a try, Holmes again converting.

Backhouse finished the first half with a slick try from excellent handling across the width of the park by the Blues.

Sadly, the effective Bridport loose forward, Jack Edwards, had to leave the game with a rib injury.

The Supermarine coach must have given an exacting half-time tactics talk as his team were thoroughly revived for the second half. Their tackling improved greatly and their scrummage gave Bridport a good work-out for the first time in weeks.

They wanted to play for their pride and they were rewarded with the only score in the second half with a tidy try by Martin Bryan.

The Blues' pack was again disrupted by injury when Cameron Farquharson went off with concussion. Bridport now march on to the final 16 in the South West.

Other results: Avonmouth OB 30 Longlevens 15; Bream 21 Old Richians 16; Chesham 6 Wallingford 24; Chose Hill FP 52 Avon 0; Cullompton 5 South Molton 35; Midsomer Norton 12 Milton Keynes 12; Newquay Hornets 15 Tiverton 24; North Briston 27 St Bernadettes OB 5; Okehampton 27 Dartmouth 6; Painswick 20 Chipping Sodbury 24; Sidmouth 32 Falmouth 13; Swindon 31 Gordano 10; Tavistock home w/o v Tamar Saracens; Wadebridge Camels 14 Tor 32.