The Dorset & Wilts Senior Men’s Rugby Team were eliminated from this season’s Bill Beaumont RFU County Championship at Banbury Rugby Club by their hosts, Oxfordshire, in a contest where the result could have gone in either direction, ending with a scoreline of 31 points to 29 in the hosts’ favour.
The match stats showed the lead changed hands 7 times, with both teams picking up yellow cards: Oxfordshire with 2 and the Twin Counties with 3.
Team manager Richard Elliott said, “We started off well and were 12 points nil up inside the first 15 minutes, but Oxfordshire changed their game plan and started to use their bigger pack to drive forwards, and we struggled to cope with that”.
“But all said we did manage to stay in the game and we were leading 29 points to 26 going into the final 5 minutes, and then we gave away a penalty they kicked into touch just short of the try line, Oxfordshire won the resulting line out and bulldozed their way across the whitewash to touch down for the match-winning try”.
“However, we do have a committed squad of mostly young players, and I think we will come good in the not too distant future”.
Dorset League Cricket Results.
Chalk Valley beat Bere Regis by 9 wickets. Dorchester vs Martinstown, match drawn. Blandford beat Swanage by 103 runs. Marnhull beat Weymouth by 2 wickets. Stalbridge beat Beaminster by 36 runs. Portland Red Triangle beat Cerne Calley by 5 wickets. Shaftsbury beat Sherborne by 5 wickets. Charlton Down beat Wimborne 3rd team by 5 wickets. Christchurch 2nd team beat Puddletown by 65 runs & Winton 4th team beat Abbotsbury by 5 runs.
To view images from the Dorchester vs Martinstown cricket match at the Recreation Ground on Saturday afternoon follow this link: idrismartin.wordpress.com
