WOOTTON Bassett bounced back from an early setback to clinch a 22-13 Southern Counties South victory away at rivals Devizes.
Playing up the slope, Bassett fell behind after just two minutes when they conceded a penalty after a knock on.
Bassett then took control of the game, their forwards winning good ball and the back line looking dangerous with centre Lee Davies in impressive form.
Bassett won a line out near the Devizes line and, from a set play move, they provided quick ball to scrum-half Mike Weeks, who fed bullocking prop Dave 'Biffer' Mason and he crashed over the line to score a try converted by player/coach Steve Cunningham.
Bassett continued to press on the home side's line and had several opportunities to expand their lead, but last-touch errors and penalties cost them crucial points.
Then it was Devizes' turn to score, this came from a quickly-taken tap penalty which caught Bassett cold.
Devizes captain Richard Slater crossed the line for converted try to give Devizes a 10-7 lead.
Devizes stretched their lead from another penalty after some ill-discipline from the Bassett pack, giving them a six-point interval lead.
After a stern half-time talk from the coaching staff, Bassett started the second half strongly.
But their comeback was hindered when influential centre Lee Davies was sin-binned for back-chatting to the referee after a dubious penalty decision went against his side.
Bassett were again in trouble five minutes later when prop Mason was also sin-binned for incorrect use of the boot at a ruck.
This left Bassett playing for a period with only 13 men, but surprisingly they scored their second try.
It came from a quick ruck, when scrum-half Weeks sent out a searching pass that found winger David Parker, who had come off the opposite flank. He fed fellow winger Steve Cunningham, who was tackled just short of the line.
But he intelligently floated the ball up for supporting centre Sean Wiltshire to catch and dive over in the corner.
Cunningham converted from the touchline to give Bassett a one-point lead.
Bassett then added another try, this time from captain Ian Mclellan, who had supported a good move from the Bassett backs and took the final pass to score an unconverted try and give Bassett a 19-13 lead.
In the final minutes, as Devizes pushed forward, they lost the ball in the Bassett 22.
The visitors cleared with a long kick downfield, where the Devizes full-back ran back but was excellently tacked by Bassett's chasing winger Parker and gave away a penalty for not releasing possession.
Bassett's Cunningham stepped up and converted the chance to confirm his side's victory.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article