CORSHAM 17

Dorchester 8

DORCHESTER’S miserable run at Lacock Road continued as they suffered their first defeat of the new season.

The county town outfit have not had much joy at Corsham in recent years – just one win in the last five visits – so Saturday’s Southern Counties South encounter was always going to be difficult.

And this proved to be the case, although the feeling was that with a little more composure under pressure the visitors could have returned home victorious.

The home side started confidently, recycling the ball efficiently and using their big forwards to make the hard yards.

And it was no surprise when their outside centre opened the scoring with a try close to the posts, making the subsequent conversion a mere formality.

Dorchester’s normally solid line-out was misfiring, causing several promising positions to go unrewarded.

A penalty by the hosts was ans- wered by a similar score from Rich Bament before Dorchester finally began to get their game together.

A period of sustained pressure on the Corsham line looked to have produced a try under the posts but Idris Croft was unable to ground the ball due to the attentions of several defenders.

Having survived Dorchester’s best period of the half, the hosts then consolidated their lead with a second converted try before the break.

The county town side shaded the second period but in truth never really looked like making up the deficit.

Croft touched down for the only points of the half after some excellent handling by second row Adam Makepeace.

Croft’s try, his first since joining from Bridport, capped a fine personal performance and showed what an asset he will be for Dorchester.

The visitors pressed for a score that would secure a losing bonus point but, again handling errors and poor decision-making combined to force Dorch-ester to leave empty handed.

Dorchester: Warren, Chalker, Hodgson (King 75), Makepeace, Mitchell, J Gower (Miners 55), Newsam, Vivian, Cree, Bament, Spensley, Clifford, Croft, Baker, Read.

Man of the Match: John Warren