BOURNEMOUTH III 7 WEYMOUTH & PORTLAND 57

CENTRE Joel Wilson crossed for a hat-trick as Weymouth & Portland continued their impressive run of form in Dorset & Wilts Two South.

Jonathan Mason, Sean Murphy, Steve Nation-Grainger and Duncan Bezzant, with two, were also on the try trail for the visitors in Bournemouth.

Head coach Paul Harding was obviously happy with his team’s display, particularly the performance of the forwards, who he felt laid the foundations for a fourth success in a row.

“We played well again on Saturday,” said Harding. “We had a few late changes but the people who filled in did well.

“Joel Wilson was back after working away and he did really well to score a hat-trick.

“It all really came from a solid effort up front, especially the back row of Jake Guildford, Sean Murphy and George Carter.”

He went on to add: “The pleasing thing for me was our physicality in the tackle area.

“Bournemouth had a few strong lads in the pack that could carry the ball but we nullified them.

“Our tackling was top drawer and our handling was also very good.

“Sean carried really well and George seemed to go through gaps which weren’t there.”

Harding also stated that patience played a big part in his team’s victory.

“We were very consistent in our build up play,” he said.

“We had good spells of pressure and stayed patient to get points on the board.

“We didn’t over-complicate things and that was one of the key things for us.

“The lads didn’t try and score off every phase, they took their time.”

Saturday’s bonus-point triumph means Weymouth & Portland will now finish fourth in the league, though they do have a derby at home against Puddletown on April 18 with which to round off the campaign.

Harding’s attentions are then set to turn to next season, and he would like to see the Monmouth Avenue outfit challenge for honours at the top of table.

He continued: “We’re going to have a meeting after the last game and talk about the plans for next season.

“We will try and get people to commit for next season when I hope we can have a real go at it in the league.”

Meanwhile, in Dorset & Wilts Three South, basement boys Weymouth & Portland Seconds suffered a 68-5 home defeat to Bournemouth Fourths on the weekend.