Poole RFC travelled to Blandford for their third league match of the season — and their first away fixture. The game formed part of Blandford RFC’s 50th-anniversary celebrations, following a vets match earlier in the day, and a large crowd turned out, likely one of the biggest of the season.
Blandford made a fast start, moving the ball wide to exploit space and an overlap for the opening try. Poole worked hard to stay in touch and were rewarded when a driving maul from a line-out saw prop Nath Vallory crash over. Dave Johnstone added the conversion to give Poole a brief 5–7 lead.
However, Blandford — newly relegated into Counties 3 after several years in Counties 2 — showed the power, pace and skill of a higher division, crossing the line regularly to regain and extend their advantage. Despite their efforts, the Dolphins struggled to contain the home side.
The second half followed a similar pattern, with Blandford again using width to stretch Poole’s defence. The Dolphins held firm for much of the half, but the hosts struck four times in the final ten minutes, making the final scoreline of 64–7 harsher than Poole’s performance deserved.
Every Poole player put in a full shift, with no replacements available to offer respite. Man of the match went to Nath Vallory for his all-round contribution, strong kicking, and try-scoring effort.
Poole now have a week’s break before returning to the Moor to host Dorchester on November 22, the first of four fixtures leading into the Christmas period.
