THE Under-15 rugby team from Dorchester's Thomas Hardye School have made school history by reaching the fifth round of the national Daily Mail Cup.

Tries by Ryan Moss (2), Tim Batten, Jamie Powell and Tim Cuzens along with three conversions from Paul Billingham gave Hardye's a fourth round victory over St Peter's School, Bournemouth by 31-27.

Hardye's dominated the first-half and went into a 20-point lead. But the Bournemouth side hit back with a strong-running game after the interval and the second-half was a much more evenly contested affair.

The only Dorset school side left in the Cup, Hardye's now meet the top Somerset public school Millfield away on Tuesday, November 27 for a place in the quarter-final of the prestigious event.

Paul Bendall from the school's PE staff said the team had produced an exceptional series of performances to get so far.

"We have all been very impressed with the commitment and undying spirit exhibited by this bunch of lads and we are looking beyond the game next week and hopefully focussing our sights on the quarter finals," he added.