PROUD skipper Paul Wakefield heaped praise on his Swindon battlers as they fell short of Dorset & Wilts 1st XV Vase glory by a solitary point.

Trowbridge grabbed the silverware after a tense 16-15 final triumph at Devizes on Saturday, but Wakefield refused to be downhearted after his side were pipped in an engaging contest.

"It was extremely close at the end. I think that was one of the best performances Swindon have put in all season,'' said Wakefield.

"The lads played for 80 minutes, never let their heads drop and the game was never out of sight.

"We were up against it. Tactically, Trowbridge played it very well but we kept at it and dug in and nothing fazed the boys.

"I can't say how proud I am of them. It was a fantastic performance.''

Wakefield's Berks, Bucks & Oxon One outfit outscored their higher-league opponents by two tries to one but it was Trowbridge's ability to slot their kicks that eventually gave them their narrow victory.

Indeed, the Southern Counties South side dominated much of the second half, prompting a splendid defensive display from Swindon, who broke out late on to ensure the result was always in the balance.

The game started badly for a nervous-looking Swindon, who found themselves trailing to an early try.

Trowbridge rolled upfield and, with the defence scattered, lock Lee McLurg crossed unopposed by the posts to hand his side a sixth-minute lead.

But Swindon were quickly into their stride and, led by the bullocking midfield runs of Wakefield, bulldozed their way upfield.

The pressure eventually told and flanker Scott Chapman slotted a penalty to reduce arrears after Trowbridge had been caught offside.

After Mark Kemp booted a 22nd-minute penalty to stretch his side's lead to seven points, Swindon responded with the try of the match from talented young fly-half Connal Knott, who latched onto a break from second row Pete Atkinson and sold the defence a superb dummy to stroll over untouched after a 60-metre move.

But Chapman was unable to convert and both he and full-back Nathan Waite were awry with further penalty shots. At the other end Kemp's third successful kick of the half gave Trowbridge a 13-8 interval lead.

The second period was virtually all one-way traffic as Trowbridge camped in their opponents' half.

But Swindon's defence was simply outstanding and occasionally illegal as sub Richard Lowe was sin-binned for a deliberate offence.

Frustrated, Trowbridge had to settle for a drop-goal from fly-half Graham Morrison 10 minutes from time.

Back roared Swindon, who dominated the final minutes.

Courtney and Trowbridge sub Matt Dudman both went to the bin for some post-whistle fisticuffs, but Chapman drove over from close range and Waite converted to make it a tense final few seconds.