Dorchester RFC produced a thrilling fourth-quarter comeback to snatch a dramatic 27–25 victory over league leaders Bridport with the final play of the match, climbing the table in the process.
The hosts made their intentions clear from the outset, using their powerful pack to drive Dorchester backwards. Early pressure paid off with a try from a line-out in the right corner, which went unconverted, before a successful penalty stretched Bridport’s lead to eight points.
Dorchester’s task became tougher when Jamie Morgan was shown a yellow card, but the visitors responded impressively. First XV debutant Khaya Msengana marked his introduction in style, crossing in the corner to get Dorchester on the scoreboard.
Bridport struck again with another driving line-out try to restore their eight-point advantage, but Dorchester refused to go in behind at the break. In the closing moments of the first half, Jamie Morgan was on hand to take an offload and touch down, keeping the visitors firmly in contention.
With the benefit of a light breeze, Bridport appeared to seize control after the interval. Two third-quarter tries, one converted, gave the hosts a commanding 15-point lead and threatened to put the game beyond Dorchester’s reach.
However, the visitors rallied superbly. Fresh legs from the bench and growing dominance at the scrum began to turn the tide, with Dorchester winning a succession of penalties and applying sustained pressure.
Msengana crossed for his second try of the afternoon, converted by man of the match Tom Kinsey, who then added a straightforward penalty to reduce the deficit to just five points.
In a dramatic finale, Dorchester kept possession for the final play, eventually breaking through Bridport’s desperate defence. Kinsey found a gap to score and level the match before calmly stepping up to slot the winning conversion under pressure.
Scenes of celebration followed as Dorchester secured a memorable win, lifting them to third place in the Counties 2 Tribute Ale Dorset & Wilts South table ahead of the festive break.
Dorchester return to action on January 10 when they host near neighbours Weymouth 7s & Portland at Monmouth Avenue.