Dorset & Wilts 13 Sussex 20
Swanage & Wareham RFC,12 May 2007 see pictures
Report and pictures by Idris Martin, D & W RFU Press Officer.
On Saturday Dorset & Wilts entertained Sussex at Swanage & Wareham RFC for their third and last game in this season's County Championship Plate competition.
This particular game was selected to be recorded on video by Andy Melrose, RFU Training & Education Officer so that the effect of experimental Law Variations that were being tried out during this season's County Championship could be evaluated
The Twin Counties championship campaign this season reads played three, lost three, but it could all have been very different with a little more quality added to a slice of good fortune.
This season Dorset and Wilts have not managed to produced a squad with their quota of big powerful forwards, however that is not to detract from the efforts of the pack they had out at Bestwall who put up a very brave effort against a visiting side who must have outweighed them up front by at least a stone and a half a man which made the going very tough at the set pieces.
The visitors did not make the best start and gave away three early penalties, the third of which Swanage full back Chris Leak put in to touch just short of the Sussex goal line.
From the ensuing line out, Dorset and Wilts lock Dave Burgess won the ball and set up possession for Bournemouth lock forward George Leyland to charge over for an unconverted try.
A quarter of an hour into the game and the visitors were down to 14 after their Haywards Heath prop Adam Halsey had upset the referee by killing possession at a ruck, and not for the first time. The ref saw fit to brandish his yellow card in the direction of the Sussex man and he had an enforced 10 minute breather in the sin bin.
Leak landed the penalty kick putting his team into an eight points to nil lead which they held until the break.
The strong wind that had blown from corner to corner when the game kicked off strengthened and veered around directly across the park by the time the second session was under way and with five minutes gone Sussex fly half Rob Parry of Bognor RFC opened his team’s account with a penalty goal.
Six minutes later and poor home defence allowed Sussex full back Joe Govett of Haywards Heath to cross in the corner for a try and level the scores eight points all.
Going into the final quarter a loose pass in the centre of the Twin Counties’ three quarters was spooned up allowing the wind to guide it away from it’s intended target straight into the grasp of Sussex left wing Matt Farness who cantered in to ground the ball in beneath the home post for the easiest try he will probably ever score in his rugby career.
Parry stroked over the conversion leaving Dorset and Wilts looking shell shocked and now chasing the game.
However, Twin Counties’ skipper and Swanage hooker Rob Elford was far from a beaten man and leading from the front drove to within a couple of metres of the Sussex line before he was halted.
Elford sent the ball back for Oakmeadians lock Mike Richards who had just come on in place of Leyland to drive over and touchdown for a try.
Trailing by 13 points to 15 and Dorset and Wilts went in search of victory, but in desperation they allowed the visitors to run from deep winning the put in to a five meter scrum.
The ball was secured and following a ruck close to the goal line, prop Adrian Flude of Eastbourne RFC got the final touch with an unconverted try to end the game and the current rugby season for all of the Dorset and Wilts players.
Hampshire beat Buckinghamshire 57-12 at Olney and go through to the Semi-finals of the County Championship Plate.
Dorset & Wilts Team
1. Karl Randle (Havant)
2. Robert Elford (S & W) Captain
3. Adam Misselbrook (Trowbridge)
4. George Leyland (Bournemouth)
5. Dave Burgess (S & W)
6. James Warren (S & W))
7. Paul Daniels (Swindon)
8. Tom Stradwick (Oakmeadians)
9. Sam Hardcastle (Bournemouth)
10. Richard Roe (Salisbury)
11. Phil Carr (Salisbury)
12. Tim Gray (Bournemouth)
13. Darryl Puzas (Bournemouth)
14. Duncan Fletcher (Bournemouth)
15. Chris Leak (S & W)
16. Matt Hart (Salisbury)
17. John Sheldrake (Swanage & Wareham)
18. Mark Richards (Oakmeadians)
19. Tim Flower (Bournemouth)
20. Charlie Parish (S & W)
21 Dave Huggins (Wimborne)
Tries. Leyland, Richards
Penalty. Leak
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