Bournemouth Lions sponsored by
Wood of Bournemouth
Salisbury 15 v 31 Bournemouth
The weather was grey and overcast and rained more or less through out the match. There
was virtually no wind thankfully!. Underfoot the pitch was well grassed but became very wet
with the persistent rain.
Bournemouth kicked off from the Westerly end and towards the clubhouse.
Straight from the kick-off Bournemouth were penalized but Salisbury knocked the ball on for
a Bournemouth scrum. As the ball was moved back left the Bournemouth backs looked very
static and it was only when it got into left wing Flynn’s hands that he injected any pace into
the move and Salisbury did well to get the ball into touch. Then we saw the first of what was
to become typical of the afternoon, when Salisbury disrupted the Bournemouth throw and
they were able to clear down their right. At least they managed to win that line-out and
Bournemouth attacked strongly down the right with the forwards in great support and won a
penalty. Flynn found touch on the Salisbury 5-metre line to set up a promising attacking lineout.
They got the throw-in right and the forwards drove for the line and there was scrum-half
Hardcastle at the base of the scrum ready to pick up and dive over. Flynn’s kick from wide
out failed to curl in enough but Bournemouth were 5-nil up after just five minutes. Salisbury
responded straight from the kick-off and when Bournemouth were penalized for handling on
the ground Salisbury had an attacking line-out of their own on the Bournemouth 22-metre
down Salisbuy’s left. Salisbury did well to retain the ball at the line-out and they worked the
ball right through fly-half Lang who found touch with a kick to the right-hand touch. Kiely
won the ball at the back of the line-out and Bournemouth were able to clear the danger with
a long kick to their left-hand touch. Bournemouth managed to steal the ball at the back of
the line-out but lose it in turn for Salisbury to counter. Bournemouth’s aggressive defence
won the ball back and in open play had a great opportunity to score but right wing Dunkerley
was not able to gather the ball cleanly as he came charging through and the opportunity was
lost. Lang from the scrum was able put in a long kick to the Bournemouth 5-metre line to put
Salisbury in another good attacking position. They won the ball at the line-out and as the
they attacked in mid-field Bournemouth did well to steal the ball and win a scrum. Referee
O’Hara saw fit to have a few words with the front rows but what ever it was it was ignored
by Bournemouth who promptly were adjudged to have pulled the scrum down for Salisbury
to be awarded a penalty 20 or so metres out and in front of the posts. However Pottage
spurned the invitation and contrived to push the ball past the right-hand post. Or at least I
think that’s what happened. Whatever he missed it resulting in a let-off for Bournemouth.
Salisbury still maintained the momentum they had built up when they rebuffed
Bournemouth’s clearance and despite Buffery almost forcing Lang into touch he managed a
long kick down his right for full back Davies to clear to touch. Bournemouth drove off the
line-out but lost control as the strong Salisbury forwards resisted and there was scramble
before the ball was kicked into touch for another Salisbury line-out on the Bournemouth 22-
metre line. They knocked the ball on and this gave an opportunity for Chislett to clear from
the resulting scrum. The fly-half failed to find touch but fortunately for him the Salisbury
defender knocked the ball on. Matt Kiely breaking off the back of the scrum lost the ball
which enabled Salisbury to recover the situation by attacking down their left. Chislett
however fielded a chip ahead and he cleared with a kick to his right but inside the
Bournemouth half. Salisbury, whose line-out work was so much better than Bournemouth’s,
then demonstrated what an advantage it is to win first phase ball when they caught the ball
well which enabled Barney’s friend Phil Carr to come off his wing and burst through the
middle to draw the defence and ‘pop’ the ball to outside centre Richard Roe who scored just
wide of the posts. Pottage made no mistake this time and put the home side in the lead at 7-
5 after 25 minutes. It was no more than they deserved for their domination and playing most
of this early period in the Bournemouth half but in turn the visitors had done well to keep
them out. With Bournemouth being frustrated by lack of ball at their own line-out Salisbury
were able to knock back Bournemouth’s initiatives. Nonetheless despite the worsening
conditions with the persistent rain both sides wanted to run the ball and Dunkerley
threatened when he looked for work coming of his wing to take play into the Salisbury half.
From the back of a line-out, the ever dangerous Hardcastle made a break which got
Bournemouth going forward and excellent hands saw the ball worked right with Tim Seward
combining with Robert Bruce which almost saw the latter score but was held up. The strong
Dunkerley broke up the middle and Salisbury struggled to bring him down but it was exciting
adventurous play by Bournemouth as the fought to regain the initiative. From a scrum they
broke left and again almost got in, this time down the left, but a knock-on thwarted their
chance. With Salisbury now under some pressure they were relieved to win a penalty to clear
their lines but Bournemouth were soon back and from a scrum on the Salisbury 5-metre line
they were just not able to drive over. They managed to get the ball out of their 22-metre but
from a Bournemouth scrum some 30 metres out, Hardcastle broke left to feed the longstriding
Flynn and remained on hand as the winger drew the last man to receive the ball
back, with a little bit of a heart-stopping juggle, to run round under the posts. The other half
of this duopoly completed this fine move with a conversion to put the visitors back into the
lead 12-7 with just three minutes to half-time. There was however still plenty of time for a
Salisbury response. From the kick-off, Bournemouth went left and won a line-out on their 10-
metre line. Again they lose the ball in the line-out and Salisbury and break down the right
touch with a Lang kick and Davies did exceptionally well to get across before the advancing
Pottage and won a line-out just outside the Bournemouth 22-metre line. From their
Bournemouth were able to clear to the half-way line for O’Hara to blow for half-time.
Immediately from the restart, Salisbury won a penalty for Lang to find touch some ten
metres out from the Bournemouth try-line. With their much more secure line-out Salisbury
were able to set up a drive for the line but they were forced to put the ball wide but their
efforts were rewarded when a desperate Bournemouth defence was penalized for coming in
at the side in front of their posts. Pottage with his second successful kick reduced the arrears
to just two points at 12-10 just three minutes into the half. Just the start they wanted. From
the restart there was an enterprising chip by Salisbury but spoilt it with a knock-on as they
went left. |
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They wheeled the scrum however and won the ball back and when Bournemouth
were again penalized Salisbury found themselves with a throw-in just outside the
Bournemouth 22-metre line down the left-hand side. This time Bournemouth won the ball
and it went left to Flynn to go deep into Salisbury territory. Retaining the ball as Salisbury
fought hard to defend, Hardcastle chipped the ball into the Salisbury 22-metre and they were
forced to run it into the safety of the touch but on their 5-metre line. Bournemouth secured
the throw-in and patiently drove for the line as they probed for a Salisbury weakness. None
forthcoming they moved the ball wide but Hardcastle brought it back left to find Cawley with
a well-judged pass and the captain did what he did when he first captained the side against
Salisbury two years ago crashed over in almost the identical spot. Flynn kicked a very fine
goal from wide-out to put his side 17-10 up nine minutes into the second period. With play
becoming a little scrappy with a number of errors in trying conditions, Bournemouth
nonetheless did well to retain the ball and stifle any Salisbury initiatives, keeping play largely
in the Salisbury half. Scrum-half Tim Shipsey did his best off the back of the scrum on a
couple of occasions but was snaffled by an aggressive fringe defence. Hooker Rye Buffery
was replaced by Chris Ulu after sixteen minutes but didn’t find the catcher on his first throw in
on the Salisbury 5-mtere line. Bournemouth managed to scramble something out of it but
the ball was kicked dead for a scrum in mid-field. Salisbury were able to clear the ball to the
left-hand touch. With handling continuing to be difficult Bournemouth again knocked on but
Lang had his clearing kick from the resulting scrum charged down but the ball screwed into
ouch to elude Flynn following up. With their more secure line-out, Salisbury were able to
clear further up the same touch. With the Bournemouth throw-in not straight Salisbury had
the put-in at a scrum. Although Shipsey tried another of his breaks from the base of the
scrum to again be snaffled Salisbury recovered the situation and worked their way up their
right-hand touch. Despite the Bournemouth defensive pressure they still managed to win the
ball and found touch just 30 metres out. Winning the line-out enabled Hardcastle to break
right to find Dunkerley who made a strong run down the right. James Payne continued the
run but broke back left where he found fellow centre Robert Bruce and the big man was
unlucky not to have been awarded a try right in the corner when he seemed to have
grounded the ball. Referee O’Hara thought otherwise and awarded a Salisbury scrum from
which they were able to clear down their right. Bournemouth secured the throe through
Seward and he and his fellow forwards drove for the line and there, with O’Hara showing an
advantage to Bournemouth, was that man Hardcastle to weave his way over for his third try
from the base of the scrum. Flynn added the two points for Bournemouth to show a little
daylight between themselves and their opponents at 24-10 with less than twenty minutes to
go. Coach David Dunn took the opportunity to bring on young Mike Pope for his second
appearance for the 1st XV but this time at full back instead of Domenick Davies. From the
kick-off, a clever kick by Hardcastle was a touch unlucky to bounce into touch down the right.
Salisbury attacked off the line-out and Pope was soon in the action when he fielded a
Salisbury kick and had the confidence to step outside the would-be tackler for Bournemouth
to be able to move he ball left. Payne put in a long kick down field for Flynn to regather but
his pass back inside was forward. He soon made amends when with Bournemouth recovering
possession and doing well in retaining the ball drove up the middle, the ball was moved back
left to the winger and he in turn did very well to step through a couple of tackles to run
round and score virtually under the posts. He didn’t spoil his own party when his kick sailed
between the posts to give a 21-point advantage to the visitors at 31-10 with just seven
minutes to go. Unfortunately, his father was obliged to head for home just a few minutes
earlier and missed it! Hardcastle retired from proceedings at this point to be replaced by
Jason Davies. Salisbury were obliged to scrum back when their kick-off failed to go 10 metres
but this set back didn’t faze them and they won a penalty which enabled to find touch down
their left in the Bournemouth half. Then with what was to prove the last play of the game
they scored with a flourish when Lang kicked the ball wide for Pottage to gather. As the
defence closed him down he chipped through for full back Phil Chesters to race through and
touch the ball down. Unfortunately Pottage’s kicking let him down again and he wasn’t able
to add the two points leaving Bournemouth the winners at 31-15.
A tight, if at times scrappy, second half performance made sure Bournemouth won their way
to their first final since 1994/1995 when they beat Dorchester at Castle Road. Salisbury in
that second period were under constant pressure but they did cut the half-time deficit to just
two points and scored a consolation try, reflecting their endeavour throughout but shipped
three crucial tries in the mean time. Hardcastle’ hat-trick simply underlined the young man’s
importance to Bournemouth but it was the forwards, whose fitness kept them going against a
pack that was not to be shoved around, who laid the foundations for what has become a rare
cup win.
Referee – Glen O’Hara, Dorset & Wilts. Touch Judges – Ian Binfield and Ryan Wallbridge,
Dorset & Wilts.
Bournemouth Team - 15: Domenick Davies; 14: Anthony Dunkerley; 13: Robert Bruce; 12:
James Payne; 11: James Flynn (1T, 3C); 10: Scott Chislett; 9: Sam Hardcastle (3T); 1: Troy
Siaki; 2: Rye Buffery (Chris Ulu 56); 3: Tim Wareham; 4: Jayson Kenny; 5: Tim Seward; 6:
Chris Hughes; 7: Dan Cawley (c) (1T); 8: Matt Kiely.
Scorers – Tries (5): Hardcastle 3 (5, 37, 64), Cawley (49), Flynn (73). Con (3): Flynn 3 (37,
64, 73).
Milestones – Sam Hardcastle passes 500 (508) points in all matches. Sam’s hat-trick was
the first for Bournemouth in the D&W Cup since Jayson Kenny scored six, Guy Spencer
scored four and Sean Duggan scored three when winning against Trowbridge on 28
November 1992. It was our first win in five encounters against Salisbury in the D&W Cup
since winning 12-11 on 7 December 1985 which was the last time we played them at home
(in the cup), then Northbourne! It is also our biggest score against them in the history of the
competition as is five tries.
Salisbury Team - 15: Phil Chesters (1T); 14: Tom Pottage (1C, 1P); 13: Richard Roe (1T);
12: Terry Gilmour; 11: Phil Carr; 10: Richard Lang; 9 Tim Shipsey; 1: Phil Sutton; 2: Nick
Taylor; 3: Adam Misselbrook; 4: Dave Thorpe; 5: Jack Fishwick; 6: Nick Triniman (c); 7:
James Kay; 8: Charlie Starkey; Substitutes: Richard West, Hamish Morton, Jon Guy, Tom
Buckingham, Rob Larcombe.
Scorers – Tries (2): Chesters (80), Roe (25). Con (1): Pottage (25), Pen (1): Pottage (43)
Scoring sequence – 5m: Hardcastle try 5-0; 25m: Salisbury goal (Roe try, Pottage con) 5-
7; 37m: Hardcastle try, Flynn con 12-7; 40m: Half-time 12-7; 43m: Salisbury pen (Pottage)
12-10; 49m: Cawley try 17-10; 64m: Hardcastle try, Flynn con 24-10; 73m: Flynn try, Flynn
con 31-10; 80m: Salisbury try (Roe) 31-10; Full Time 31-10.
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