POOLE 25

Puddletown 0

A FIVE-MINUTE spell midway through the first period of this Dorset & Wilts Plate tie crucially gave the hosts an advantage they never surrendered.

And despite a spirited fight back from the Villagers during the second period, Poole can now look forward to a visit from high-flying Minety in the next round.

On a day more suited to village cricket than to club rugby both sides started brightly, testing each other out in midfield, but creating little in the way of scoring chances.

Until the 15th minute that is, when Poole’s back line suddenly produced a sweeping cross-field move, giving winger Ian Dorey the space to get outside the last defender and score in the corner. Fly-half Stuart Newman added the extras.

The visitors tried to respond but were soon on the defensive as once more the home side pushed forward and within five minutes Dorey had rounded his man again to cross over out wide.

Newman’s conversion attempt failed but just before the break, after Puddletown centre Dan Udell had first missed the chance to get three points back from a penalty, he successfully landed one at the other end to give Poole a 15-0 half-time lead.

Despite the hot conditions, Puddletown lifted the tempo of their game straight from the restart and, just as in their league victory a fortnight earlier, spent long periods virtually camped inside the home 22. But once again, turning pressure into points proved difficult against a resolute home defence.

Toby Boatswain, playing at number eight, repeatedly drove his forwards towards the try-line and on one occasion as they crossed it the ball looked to have been grounded by hooker Jeremy Michael-Beale, only for the referee, unsighted and unable to confirm the score, having to call a five-metre scrum instead.

Into the final quarter and worse was to come for the Villagers as they continued to push up-field, when Dorey intercepted a long pass and sprinted clear of the last man to complete his hat-trick.

Newman kicked the conversion and then added a further penalty late on to round off the scoring and leave the visitors contemplating what might have been.

Dorset Piddle Brewery Man of the Match: Harry Foot