OAKMEADIANS 27 BRIDPORT 7

OAKMEADIANS maintained their hopes of an immediate return to Southern Counties South with a bonus-point success at home to Bridport.

Their determination to gain promotion from Dorset & Wilts One South showed with a try in the first five minutes.

The home scrum powered over the Blues in the first quarter and it looked as if it might be a long and hard afternoon for the visitors.

Oaks set the pace with fast interplay and kept Bridport on the back foot, a converted try giving them a 15-0 lead to underline their dominance.

Fortune favours the brave though and the Blues seemed to regain their composure in the whistle-strewn second quarter when the pack fought back and put up an aggressive response to the Oaks’ threat.

However, a moment of petulance from the Blues gave the home side a penalty just before half-time and they went into the interval 15-0 up.

The second half began with Bridport being reduced to 14 due to a sin-binning but despite being a man down they scored when Rory Greening took a quick tap penalty and dived over. He converted to make it 15-7 and hope was in the air.

Changes by both teams saw the game become a little unsettled, but Bridport fly-half Ricky Stubbs had a storming afternoon, and was well-served by skipper Dave Cutting at scrum- half.

With 10 minutes to go, the Oaks powered up to the visitors’ line and, from a ruck, the ball was passed down the backline for a neat try, which was converted with a drop-kick.

Bridport almost had their moment of glory in the gathering gloom.

From close-quarter play, Cut-ting was able to stretch out and touch down behind the Oaks’ line. Sadly, the referee said there had been no downward pressure.

And the home side closed out the match with a fourth try to seal the win and stay top of the division.