Dorchester 28

OAKMEADIANS 3

DORCHESTER marked the new Southern Counties South season with a hard fought, but well-deserved victory over Bournemouth-based Oakmeadians.

The visitors, who were relegated last season, started brightly and opened the scoring with an easy penalty after the home side were caught offside in front of their own posts.

Oakmeadians continued to shade the game territorially but Dorchester’s total domination of the set-piece ensured that the visitors were unable to create any scoring opportunities.

Rich Bament then equalised with a 40-metre penalty goal before two quick tries opened up what proved to be a winning margin.

Firstly, scrum-half Gareth Biddle finished off a textbook blind-side move, involving number eight Ali Vivian and full-back Matt Read, before persistent hounding of the Oaks’ number three by James Newsam turned the ball over and quick passing allowed his fellow flanker to cross in the same corner. Bament added the extras for the first but narrowly missed the second conversion.

A further Bament penalty gave the county town outfit a comfortable 15-point lead at the break.

The second half turned into a war of attrition.

Oaks fought on gamely but their continued failings at the scrum meant they were unable to win the quality possession required to threaten a stubborn Dorchester defence.

The home side did not help themselves either by losing two men to the sin bin.

However, a third successful penalty by Bament put the issue beyond doubt and then, in the dying moments, Vivian took advantage of some tired tackling to cross for try number three.

Bament’s conversion concluded the scoring and a satisfactory start to the new campaign.

Dorchester: Warren (Miners 60), Chalker, Hodgson, Makepeace (King 65), Mitchell, J Gower, Newsam, Vivian, Biddle, Bament, Baker, Clifford (Fry 65), Harvey, Croft, Read.

Man of the Match: Steve Hodgson