Committed Dorchester give leaders a scare

REVITALISED Dorchester played this game with enthusiasm and commitment and came agonisingly close to victory against the league leaders

Their performance totally belied their position at the foot of the table. The pack hunted tigerishly all round the park, supporting each other throughout to counter the extra power and weight of the visitors.

Despite spending much of the first period on defence, Dorchester were well worth their interval lead, but the loss of stand-off Paul Bassindale with a hamstring pull just before the break proved decisive. The reorganised backs were unable to reproduce their smooth work without his calm direction, Weston took control for 20 minutes, and with it a lead which they just managed to sustain as Dorchester came at them again at the end.

Playing up-slope, but with a chill easterly wind behind them, Dorchester collected the kick-off and a series of forward drives took the ball into Weston territory. Steve Barrett, who had a storming game against the club where he started his rugby, won good line-out ball and Rich Bament made the first of several powerful runs on the wing to reach the 22.

Good recycling kept the attack going and spread the ball to catch the Weston defence encroaching offside. Unfortunately Mike Gannaway's angled penalty faded just wide.

The visitors took prompt advantage of their let-off as Dorchester infringed from the drop-out and a good kick saw Weston encamped on the home 22. From the line-out Weston produced their pack power with a driving, rolling maul which made it all the way to the line for hooker Bird to touch down. The conversion failed.

Dorchester regrouped, and with Bassindale coolly authoritative in midfield and Chris Goulding finding good angles of running, set up sustained pressure with Marcus Foice and Richard Elliott setting a high work-rate.

The home side were noticeably quicker to the breakdowns, and it was no surprise when they got deserved reward as Weston twice illegally slowed ball release within their territory for Gannaway to slot over penalties and nudge Dorchester ahead.

Stung, the league leaders raised their game, and attempted to steamroller with their heavyweight pack. Three times they had set pieces within five metres of the Dorchester line, but the much smaller home front five proved their courage and technique by standing firm, while Russell Eversden led a back row alert to snuff out any danger round the fringes. With Alex Cowling contributing reliable booming relieving kicks, Dorchester survived, and extended their lead through a third penalty conceded as Richard Miller and Goulding disrupted the visitors' defence through sharp breaks and the tackler played the ball while lying on the ground.

Dorchester turned round 9-5 ahead, but over the third quarter possession was surrendered too easily and as the whole side came under pressure mistakes crept in. Weston scrum-half Coleman was presented with two longish penalty chances which he confidently converted to edge the visitors ahead, then they produced their best sustained attack after the home side knocked on in their own 22.

Despite determined and organised home tackling, Weston recycled through at least a dozen phases before full-back Vukicevic arrived with momentum to crash over unstoppably from five metres out. With the conversion putting the visitors nine points ahead, the game seemed decided.

But Dorchester's three youngest players had other views. Cowling collected a kick ahead and fed Bament moving forward. Still inside his 22 and facing a line of tacklers, he produced an audacious chip which he collected himself to provide a platform for his forwards on halfway. Quick recycling and a rolling cross-kick exposed a retreating Weston winger, and Aaron Cooke's determination and pace got him to the ball first, to hack on, gather and then outpace the cover to score under the posts.

The conversion seemed a formality, but Gannaway's standing foot slipped and the ball screwed wide. Even so, the flow of the game had been changed, and though Weston gained another penalty to extend their lead to seven points, Dorchester seemed the likelier to score, and came tantalisingly close to saving the game when Eversden was brought down an agonising couple of feet short of the line.

Dorchester: Cowling, Bament, Thompson, Joseph Cooke, Bassindale (Morris 30) Gannaway, Ninnim, Miller, Raines, Foice, Barrett, Goulding, Elliott, Eversden. Replacements not used: Pinder Raines. Scorers: Try, Cooke. pen: Gannaway 3

 Dorchester A also suffered defeat at the hands of their Weston counterparts, conceding two late tries to widen the gap to 28-7 in what had been a well-contested game. 