BRIDPORT RESERVES        3 

DORCHESTER SPORTS       3
 (aet, Bridport win 4-2 on pens)

A DING-DONG Dorset Senior Trophy quarter-final at St Mary’s Field was settled on penalties, with Bridport Reserves holding their nerve from the spot to edge out Dorchester Sports.

Ashley White scored a hat-trick for the visitors but ended up on the losing side as his effort in the shoot-out was saved by Josh Hadley and then team-mate Gary Harvey missed the target.

Sports got off to the perfect start when White put Ashley James’ men 1-0 up, although Bees’ boss Shaun Annetts was far from happy with his team’s defending for the goal.

The hosts, in the league above their opponents, had to wait until just before half-time to get on level terms when Josh Baker found the top corner.

Tom Blair gave Bridport the lead with around 20 minutes to go, firing into the roof of the net to make it 2-1. But Sports weren’t finished and White netted again in the closing stages to force extra-time.

And the Dorset Senior League outfit might even have won it in normal time had replacement Craig Bridle found the net when one-on-one with Hadley.

Substitute Simon Gale then made an immediate impact for the Bees with his glancing header making it 3-2 to the hosts in the first period of extra-time.

However, White came to Sports’ rescue with just minutes left, curling a sublime shot past Hadley to send the tie to penalties.

In the end, Bridport scored all four of their spot-kicks while the misses for White and Harvey ended Sports’ hopes of reaching the semi-finals.

“We’re very relieved to get through,” said Annetts. “We weren’t great on the day but I was really pleased with the character of the lads to come through it.

“There were no problems in terms of effort but we can’t give away three goals like we did.

“All credit to Sports though, they caused us a lot of problems and asked a lot of questions.”

Annetts’ Sports counterpart James added: “I’m proud of my lads and it was probably the best game I’ve ever been involved in.

“They are in a higher league than us so we can hold our heads up high and take the way we played into our league games.

“Penalties aren’t really our forte at the moment and it particularly tough on Ash White after he had scored a hat-trick.

“And nine times out of 10, Craig Bridle would have stuck that chance away he had late on, but he hasn’t played for a month and came in to help me out.”

Bees: Hadley, Herbst, Stordy, King, L Annetts (S Gale), Jones (T Gale), Blair, Fleet, Peach, Baker (Cummings), Bulman

Sports: Fulbrook, Heal, Lochrie, Read, Clarke-Jones, Bowditch (Bridle), Harvey, Steele, White, Webb (Critchell), Morgan