Match report
U12s Wiltshire Cup - Bradford-on-Avon - 20th March 2011

Squad - Tobi Arnold, Pip Alison, George Leggett, Josh Trowern, Archie McEwan, Jared Cardew, Sam Bradby, Callam McTaggart, Will Gatehouse, Hugo Horlock, Tom Khule, Caden Murley, Patrick Bates, Loxley Blumer, Chris Nichols Archie Bourne, Jamie Ellis, Zandy Dembinski

The Under 12s took part in the Wiltshire Cup on Sunday with much expectation resting on their shoulders to retain their County honours. The weather was perfect, the pitches were flat and in beautiful condition and the car park had enough spaces for everyone to park; what more could you ask for at the start of play!

After a slow start Salisbury RFC Under 15s took control of a fiercely contested match ending the first half up 21-0.

However Chippenham came back strongly immediately after the restart and forced Salisbury RFC on the back foot for much of the second half scoring 17 points without reply. A frenetic last five minutes had Salisbury RFC defending

 resolutely to ensure the Wiltshire Cup returned to Castle Road for the third time in four years.

A strong display away to Devizes on Sunday has ensured that ladies rugby at Salisbury continues to gather momentum. Salisbury eventually lost 17 - 5 as injury had forced them down to 14, but strong scrummaging and aggressive loose play from the forwards ensured that they were competitive throughout. Helen Lydon and Krissy Illston were at the forefront of structured display from the visitors and there are clear indications of rising skill levels throughout the squad. This performance comes on the back of victory in the Bournemouth University Tag Tournament and a home win over a Fordingbridge XV last weekend. The Ladies travel to Southampton next Sunday and training continues on Wednesday nights at 7pm.

Salisbury secured promotion to South West 1 East in style with a 50 - 14 away win over Sherborne. The victory puts Salisbury 16 points clear at the top and out of reach of 2^nd place Oldfield Old Boys with 3 league matches left to play. This was another complete performance worthy of the visitor's league status against a competitive Sherborne XV who were capable of spoiling the party.

Trys from flanker Hamish Morton and scrum half Andrew Herriott gave the visitors a 12 - 0 lead after 20 minutes but Sherborne responded with a converted try to reduce the deficit to 12 - 7 in the 34^th minute. Salisbury then upped the tempo and a try from wing Tom Pottage and a second for Morton extended the lead. With 2 conversions from Rory Davis the half concluded at 24 - 7.

Salisbury maintained the upper hand throughout the second half and ran in a further 4 trys from second row Gordon Grant, flankers Nick Taylor and James Kay and a second for Pottage. It wasn't one way traffic, the hosts countered with a well worked try and conversion on 64 minutes but this wasn't enough to prevent Salisbury celebrating as outright league champions and the prospect of returning to rugby at level 7 at the first attempt.

Team: Richard Roe, Tom Pottage, Simon Smith, James Starkey, Phil Carr, Rory Davis, Andrew Herriott, Rich West, Luke Esnouf, Gareth Blackborow, Dave Thorpe, Gordon Grant, Hamish Morton, James Kay, Liam Gilbert (Capt and pictured). Subs: George Morgan (on for Blackborow, Nick Taylor (on for Morton) and Terry Gilmour (on for Simon Smith)

Salisbury's Ladies XV played their first full contact match of the season against Fordingbridge on Sunday. The hosts quickly gained control from the start with a powerful scrummage and effective lineout providing plenty of possession. The midfield was, however, keenly contested and both sides tackled fiercely but wing Gemma David's pace and centre Jess Hinton's strength gave Salisbury the edge. David scored a superb try immediately from an attacking scrum early on and Hinton powered down the wing for 2 scores to give the hosts a well deserved 15 - 10 victory. This comes on the back of the Bournemouth University tag 7s tournament win last weekend and bodes well for the development of women's rugby at the Castle Road.

Salisbury edged closer to promotion certainty with a 39 - 7 home win over Corsham. The hosts were hoping to improve on last week's disappointing display against Bridport and did so playing disciplined and quality rugby throughout. Centre Simon Smith's try opened the scoring on 4 minutes and Rory Davis converted. Momentum remained with the hosts for most of the half. Davis kept the score board ticking over converting 3 penalties inside 15 minutes and a try from skipper Liam Gilbert in the 29^th minute provided Salisbury with 21 unanswered points. A fourth penalty from Davis concluded the half at 24 - 0 in the hosts favour.

Corsham were undeterred and upped their game early in the second half, an early try and conversion spurred them on and they looked dangerous throughout the third quarter. The hosts absorbed the pressure and eventually regrouped to score three more trys from Tom Pottage, Richard West and Dave Thorpe within the last 15 minutes. This was a highly enjoyable match to watch with both teams playing positively and with real desire to play running rugby. None more so than Salisbury's hooker Luke Esnouf (pictured) and flanker Will Whyte who were outstanding throughout.

The result ensures that Salisbury remain clear at the top of Southern Counties South by 11 points with a game in hand over nearest rivals Oldfield Old Boys.

Team: Richard Roe, Tom Pottage,Simon Smith, Simon Starkey, Phil Carr, Rory Davis, David Tonge, Rich West, Luke Esnouf, Gareth Blackborow, David Thorpe, Liam Gilbert, Will Whyte, James Kay, Hamish Morton. Subs: George Morgan (on for Blackborow), Nick Taylor (on for Morton) and Richard Knight (on for Tonge).

Salisbury came close to a shock defeat this Saturday when they travelled away to league strugglers Bridport. This was Salisbury prop Rich West's 200^th first XV appearance but it was clear that the hosts weren't in a party mood as they threw themselves into this fixture. Bridport were rewarded with a penalty after only 3 minutes. Salisbury regrouped and countered with a try for wing Tom Pottage on 10 minutes. Rory Davis added the extras but this wasn't to go as planned. Salisbury's execution was inaccurate and they lacked their normal fluency.

Bridport's efforts were rewarded with an unconverted try for centre Idris Croft in the 19^th minute to take a slender 8 - 7 lead. Pottage added Salisbury's second try 10 minutes later to re-establish the visitor's lead but it was clear that this was a less than convincing performance compounded by a sin-binning for flanker Bobby Saunders on the half-hour.

The visitors extended their lead to 17 - 8 early in the second half with a try from substitute scrumhalf Andrew Herriott but this failed to subdue Bridport. Croft added a penalty for Bridport, quickly followed by a converted try to regain the lead for hosts. With the score at 18 - 17 in Bridport's favour things went from bad to worse for Salisbury.  They were awarded a second yellow card, this time for skipper Liam Gilbert on 58 minutes. But, despite being a player down the visitors did manage to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Davis added two more penalties and there were trys for Richard Knight and a third for Pottage converted by Herriott to conclude a rather fragmented match 35 - 18 in the visitor's favour.

Salisbury's head coach, Mark Bugden made clear that this was a very unsatisfactory performance and that a significant improvement is required if they are to maintain their unbeaten record when they host a very capable Corsham XV at Castle Road next Saturday.

Team: Richard Roe, Tom Pottage, Simon Smith, James Starkey, Richard Knight, Rory Davis, David Tonge, Rich West, Luke Esnouf, Gareth Blackborow, Dave Thorpe, Matt Pallas, Bobby Saunders, James Kay, Liam Gilbert (Capt). Subs: Phil Sutton, Mark Bugden (on for Pallas) and Andrew Herriott (on for Tonge).

The Salisbury Ladies' first outing as a team was a surprise success, not least to the 8 girls taking part! They gathered at the side of the pitch as "The Old Ladies" dressed in only the finest the charity shops of Salisbury could offer - wigs, tights and flowery dresses combined beautifully with muddy boots and a willingness to give it their best.

The tournament organised by Bournemouth University Sports Management students was held in Ellingham and Ringwood Rugby Club in aid of Help For Heroes and was the first tournament of it's kind in the area. 5 teams took part in the event which ran on Saturday 26th February and saw fancy dress themes such as Superheroes, Ravers, Crayola and Sunburnt Bumblebees, but it was The Old Ladies who eventually triumphed after a rocky start and some close battles.

Following 9 tough matches the Salisbury ladies were announced the clear winners and were presented with a plaque and champagne by the Mayor of Ringwood, Cllr Christine Ford. They then joined the men's team back in the club to watch England vs France and, celebrate with coach, Tom Hill.

Salisbury travelled to mid-table Dorchester on Saturday and extended their unbeaten league run to 16 after one of their toughest fixtures. The Dorset side have an impressive home record and challenged the visitors forcing them to play some of the season's best rugby during the early exchanges.

Salisbury played into the wind but excellent support play and ruthless finishing enabled them to take an early lead. Second row Dave Thorpe was the first to score on 4 minutes and was followed in quick succession by two trys from centre Simon Smith and the fourth from prop George Morgan. Rory Davis kicked 3 conversions to establish a 26 point lead in as many minutes. Despite the deficit, Dorchester were more competitive during the second quarter. Salisbury dropped a pass under pressure for the hosts to gather and score a under the posts. With a simple conversion added and the wind in their favour, Dorchester returned to the visitors 22. In determined mood they sustained pressure and eventually breached Salisbury's defences in the 35^th minute. With extras added the half concluded at 14 - 26.

Dorchester were undeterred when facing the wind. Their pack was highly effective and kept them supplied with quality possession. Consequently, Salisbury were unable to control proceedings as they had done earlier but used the wind to establish field position for Thorpe to score his second try on 50 minutes. Davis converted to stretch the visitor's lead to 19 points but Dorchester weren't going quietly. Their pack remained competitive but they were unable to turn pressure into points and Salisbury finally settled the contest when substitute Luke Esnouf broke from a ruck to touch down in the dying minutes. Davis added his 5^th conversion for a 40 - 14 win.

Salisbury are now 6 matches away from an unbeaten season and will travel to second-from-bottom Bridport next Saturday.

Team:  Richard Roe, Dave Salomon, Simon Smith, James Starkey, Phil Carr, Rory Davis, Andrew Herriot, George Morgan, Gareth Blackborow, Rich West, Dave Thorpe, Matt Pallas (pictured on the charge), Will Whyte, James Kay, Liam Gilbert. Subs: Luke Esnouf (on for Morgan), Bobby Saunders (on for Salomon) and David Tonge (on for Herriot).