Bath 34, Sale Sharks 32: Bath got their Zurich Premiership ambitions back on track by narrowly defeating Sale Sharks at The Rec.

In doing so, they avenged a 33-32 defeat on the first day of the season at Heyward Road.

However, they were made to fight for their win after visiting full-back Vaughan Going scored two first-half tries and made another.

Bath were left desperately hanging on in injury time as Sale pressed for the score that would have won them the match.

England's international commitments meant that the home side were were forced to make several changes to the team that lost to Gloucester.

Without Iain Balshaw, Mike Tindall, Mike Catt, Matt Perry and Mark Regan, all playing at Twickenham, coach Jon Callard gave a first start of the season to young full back Tom Voyce.

Jeremy Guscott was also passed fit to play at centre, while there recalls for wing Rob Thirlby and fly half Shaun Berne. Five members of the pack were reshuffled as David Barnes, Andy Long and John Mallett came into the front row and Mark Gabey start ed at lock.

Sale began better and scored the first try of the game after only seven minutes. Hooker Bernard Jackman was halted close to the line, but the ball was recycled for Going to go over under under the posts.

Bath's first real spell of possession brought a penalty from fly-half Jon Preston. This galvanised them and Berne went close after a clever dummy.

However, Sale took advantage of some poor defending to register a second try on 24 minutes. Going was instrumental, running fully 60 metres past some static defenders before freeing Matt Moore for the try. Niki Little's conversion made it 14-3 to the visitors.

A brace of Preston penalties reduced the deficit and gave Bath a platform from which to mount a comeback.

They made the most of their one-man advantage after Sale flanker Pete Anglesea was sin-binned. Guscott's scything run was stopped, but when the ball came back Berne and Gabey combined to send prop John Mallett over for a try which levelled the scores.

It was Bath's first try since Berne went over at Newport five weeks ago.

Two minutes into stoppage time at the end of the half, Bath took the lead. Tom Voyce's pace took him clear only to be stopped inches from the line. They had plenty of bodies in support and Ben Clarke was on hand to crash over from close range.

Seconds later, Going broke through Preston's tackle to score his second try of the match and reduce the gap to two points at half time.

The start of the second half was delayed for a lengthy period of time after a serious injury to Sale lock Andy Whittle in the first minute.

When play restarted, Little converted a penalty to put Sale back in front.

Callard then decided to send on Steve Borthwick, an unused substitute at Twickenham, to shore up the line-out and within a minute, Berne blocked Little's clearance for an opportunist try.

Little and Preston traded penalties, before the Kiwi kicked his fifth of the day to take his total to 19 points after 67 minutes and seemingly put enough daylight between the sides at 34-25.

However, Sale are tenacious opponents and lock Guy Manson-Bishop burst over from close range for a converted try after 79 minutes.

That left just two points between the sides and Bath had to endure a nervous eight minutes of stoppage time.

They almost lost out in the dying seconds, but Little's long-range drop goal attempt drifted wide of the target.