BRIDPORT 7 BLANDFORD 30

BRIDPORT fly-half Will Everitt will miss the rest of the season after breaking his leg during his side’s Dorset & Wilts One South defeat to Blandford.

Everitt sustained the injury at the start of the second half while making a tackle on his opposite number.

The match was delayed for around 10 minutes as the Bridport player was treated by members of St John Ambulance and the emergency services before being taken to hospital.

Both sides continued the game on an adjoining pitch with the visitors running out comfortable winners in the end.

Commenting on the injury, Bridport team manager Arthur Barclay said: “It didn’t look anything serious, it just seemed to be an awkward fall.

“Will went to tackle their outside-half and whether his studs got stuck in the turf and his leg twisted, I don’t know.

“He was in a lot of pain and knew straight away that he had broken it. The people who looked after him did a wonderful job.”

Everitt was part of a young Bridport side that took to the field and it was they who bossed the opening quarter but without making their dominance count.

Roles were reversed midway through the first half and Blandford raced into a 25-0 lead at half time as they crossed for three tries, two of which were converted, and kicked a brace of penalties.

A fourth Blandford try followed after the restart and after missing a couple of shots at goal Bridport did get on the board when Rob Sullivan touched down and Donald Farmer converted.

Their cause was hindered again when Mike Pibworth had to go off with concussion but Barclay wasn’t too despondent with the performance.

“The young lads we had, including Will Haggerty who was phenomenal, stepped up to the plate and didn’t look out of place,” he added.

“I told them afterwards that we were 100 percent better than before Christmas and looked like a team, which is what we want.”

Bridport, sixth in the table, host eighth-placed Westbury on Saturday (3pm).