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All Blacks back on track
By Phil Chard (Daily Echo)

ALL BLACKS captain Dave Huggins believes they are back in the Southern Counties South promotion play-off race following a 48-7 home victory over Dorchester. But he has warned his Wimborne team-mates "consistency" will be the key to their hopes of going up after they completed a double over the county town team.
Huggins, who scored two of his side's eight tries, said: "That was the best we have played all season. Dorchester never gave up and it wasn't a walkover. We just played the best we have for a long time. It was 7-7 after 10 minutes and then we got our patience and game plan back. We'd beaten Dorchester 31-12 away last month and they were stronger this time around."

Wimborne's seventh triumph lifted them within four points of second-placed Frome. Asked if he felt the Leigh Parkers still had a chance of promotion, Huggins said: "Yes we have, but only if we play like that every time. I said that to the players after the game. We have Wootton Bassett in our next league game after Christmas and we have to play like this then with the same team. If someone else comes into our side they have to play like that or better. The only way we can do it is with consistency. There is no point talking about promotion until we can prove we are consistent."

Martin Beevers (two), Karim Lynch, Charlie Morgan, Steve King and Andy Unwin got Wimborne's other tries, while Paul Roberts slotted over four conversions.

Wimborne visit Swanage and Wareham in a friendly on Saturday (2.15pm).

Wimborne: Unwin, Atkins (Murphy 60), Tinsdale, Jordan, Davies, Morgan, O'Bryan, Hicks, Llewellyn, Roberts, King, Griffin, Huggins, Beevers (Maltmant 70), Lynch.

All Blacks are off their game
By Phil Chard (Daily Echo)

WIMBORNE captain Dave Huggins admitted his side had only themselves to blame for a 21-8 reverse at Oldfield Old Boy's in Southern Counties South. Marcus Atkins (try) and James Miko (penalty) scored the All Blacks' points and they only trailed 14-8 with a few minutes go to. But Huggins said: "We never produced 50-per-cent of what we can do. We've got no consistency at the moment. Gavin Maltmant, our second XV scrum half, made his first team debut and was outstanding. He was the only player to come out of this game with any credit for us."

Wimborne: Tinsdale, Murphy (Atkins), R Lynch, Peart, Davies, Hicks, O'Bryan, Huggins, Maltmant, Gee, Griffin (Russell), Griffiths, King, Miko, K Lynch.

All Blacks back on track
By Phil Chard
ALL BLACKS captain Dave Huggins believes they are back in the Southern Counties South promotion play-off race following a 48-7 home victory over Dorchester.

But he has warned his Wimborne team-mates "consistency" will be the key to their hopes of going up after they completed a double over the county town team.

Huggins, who scored two of his side's eight tries, said: "That was the best we have played all season.

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"Dorchester never gave up and it wasn't a walkover. We just played the best we have for a long time.

"It was 7-7 after 10 minutes and then we got our patience and game plan back.

"We'd beaten Dorchester 31-12 away last month and they were stronger this time around."

Wimborne's seventh triumph lifted them within four points of second-placed Frome.

Asked if he felt the Leigh Parkers still had a chance of promotion, Huggins said: "Yes we have, but only if we play like that every time.

"I said that to the players after the game.

"We have Wootton Bassett in our next league game after Christmas and we have to play like this then with the same team.

"If someone else comes into our side they have to play like that or better.

"The only way we can do it is with consistency.

"There is no point talking about promotion until we can prove we are consistent."

Martin Beevers (two), Karim Lynch, Charlie Morgan, Steve King and Andy Unwin got Wimborne's other tries, while Paul Roberts slotted over four conversions.

Wimborne visit Swanage and Wareham in a friendly on Saturday (2.15pm).

Wimborne: Unwin, Atkins (Murphy 60), Tinsdale, Jordan, Davies, Morgan, O'Bryan, Hicks, Llewellyn, Roberts, King, Griffin, Huggins, Beevers (Maltmant 70), Lynch.

Wimborne Run Riot
By Phil Chard (Daily Echo)
WIMBORNE outside centre Paul Roberts sustained a suspected broken nose during their 34-7 home win over Devizes in Southern Counties South. All Blacks captain Dave Huggins stressed the injury was sustained in the first half and Roberts went off at half time. Huggins said: "We don't think the referee saw what happened and we're not sure how long Paul will be out. I'll find out how he is in training this week, then we'll go from there, although knowing Paul he won't be out for long."

Bottom-of-the-table Devizes took a shock 7-0 lead. But Wimborne replied by running in six tries through Huggins (two), Karim Lynch, Riad Lynch, Martin Beevers and Charlie Morgan.
Huggins said: "Devizes took the lead in the opening five minutes. They stole our lineout very well and scored from five metres out. But we controlled the game after that. As soon as we had got into it, they never looked like scoring again. We were great defensively and with our use of the ball. We should have scored more points but overall we're pleased with the win."

Wimborne: Unwin, Murphy, R Lynch (Tinsdale), Davies, Jordan, Morgan, Huggins, O'Bryan (Hicks), Hymers, Miko, Beevers, Griffin, Roberts (Moxham), King, K Lynch.

Late try ends Huggins’ hopes
By Phil Chard (Daily Echo)
WIMBORNE skipper Dave Huggins admitted his side "fell asleep" to gift Wootton Bassett their late match-winning try in a 14-7 reverse at Leigh Park.
The All Blacks had worked hard to drag back a 7-0 deficit to make it 7-7 at half-time courtesy of a Paul Roberts try following a breakaway from their own 22.
But after Roberts had slotted over the conversation, the Dorset club were made to rue a lapse in concentration late on as they lost this Southern Counties South encounter.
Huggins said: "Seeing Wootton are second in the league, we played very well. We put up a very good defence until the last 15 minutes when we just fell asleep for a couple of minutes."

Wimborne: Unwin, Atkins, R Lynch, Jordan, Davies, Morgan, Hicks, Davey, Llewellyn, Gee, King, Huggins, Roberts, Botha, K Lynch. Used subs: Worfolk, Tinsdale, Stephens.

Huggins happy with 'massive' win
By Phil Chard (Daily Echo)

WIMBORNE captain Dave Huggins labelled the importance of their 22-14 home win over Oakmeadians as "massive". The All Blacks twice pulled back deficits to triumph courtesy of tries from Bradley Gee, Huggins and Riad Lynch. Stand-in fly half Gee slotted over two conversions, and a Geoff Moxham penalty completed Wimborne's scoring as they maintained their Southern Counties promotion hopes. It means the Dorset club remain two points behind leaders Trowbridge, whom they visit in a crunch match on Saturday, with a game in hand.

Huggins, whose side trailed 7-3 and 14-10 before digging deep to tie up victory with his and Lynch's late tries, said: "It was a massive win for us. It has given us a lot of confidence because Oaks are a good side and our local rivals. A win like that is always a confidence booster and two more points in the league helps us out massively. I was very pleased with our performance and our defence. We came back from behind twice to show great heart."
Wimborne are fourth in the table, two points adrift of Trowbridge and Frome and level with North Dorset, all of whom have played one more game.
Huggins, whose side have won four games and lost only once, said: "It is very early days still, but promotion is our target. But we are not getting carried away with our good start. We will just take every game as it comes and see what team we will be able to put out each week bearing in mind that injuries will keep cropping up. We'll just keep plugging away and see where it takes us."

Huggins picked out front row Andy Unwin and Gee for special praise. The captain said: "Andy was very good again in only his second appearance for us. He was against some huge props, which Oaks always seem to line up with, and just dominated the scrums. Bradley was superb in his first game at fly half. He controlled it very well considering he is normally a full back."

Oaks captain Hayden Hokianga stressed they had no qualms with the result, despite Ed Baylis scoring a try with his first touch of the ball to give them an early lead following his move from Bournemouth. Ryan Stephenson also touched down, with both tries converted by Hokianga. The skipper said: "Wimborne stuck to their game plan for 80 minutes and we only played rugby for 50 or 60 minutes. Wimborne played well and took their chances. They created opportunities for themselves, fair play to them, and they won the game. We shut off for periods and showed a lot of immaturity and naivety. We had a lot of possession and territory but at the end of the day Wimborne deserved to win."

Wimborne: K Lynch, King, Huggins, Moxham, Chapman, Gee, Llewellyn, Hicks, Davey, Morgan, Jordan, Davies, R Lynch, Murphy, Unwin. Used subs: Atkins, O'Bryan, Roberts.

Unwin shines for Wimborne
By Phil Chard (Daily Echo)
WIMBORNE captain Dave Huggins praised new boy Andy Unwin's senior bow for the club as they struggled to beat Chew Valley 21-14 at home.
The All Blacks moved into the EDF Energy Senior Vase third round with tries from Steve King (two) and Geoff Moxham, with Paul Roberts adding two penalties. But Chew Valley pushed them all the way after briefly leading 14-13 through two penalty tries that were converted.

Huggins said: "It was one of those games where we played a lower league team and they dragged us down to their level. We didn't play the 100 per cent game we wanted, nowhere near so, and I was disappointed with our overall performance but pleased we won the game. The main positive was the performance of 18-year-old Andy Unwin who made his senior debut at prop after he has impressed in training. He had a very good game against an experienced front row. Geoff Moxham, who normally plays fullback for our second team, also came in at centre in place of Dave Stephens, who was unavailable. Geoff did very well and capped his display with a try."

Wimborne: R Lynch, Murphy, Davis, Atkins, Hicks, Roberts, Huggins, Chapman, King, Gee, Beevers, O'Bryan, Davey, Moxham, Unwin. Unused sub: Moore.

Baker blow for All Blacks
By Phil Chard (Daily Echo)
WIMBORNE back row James Baker is out for the rest of the season after breaking his leg during their 46-5 defeat at Frome. The former Dorset and Wiltshire player had only been on the pitch for 20 minutes as a substitute when disaster struck in a Southern Counties South encounter.

All Blacks captain Dave Huggins said: "James broke his leg and also dislocated and fractured his ankle in a ruck at the end of the game. No-one is definitely sure how it happened. I heard the snap but we don't know how he did it. He was in quite a lot of pain and couldn't talk about it at the time".
Huggins added: "James was taken to hospital in Bristol and then transferred to Poole on Sunday. They were hoping to pin and plate his leg on Monday night but I'm not sure whether they were able to go ahead then. James has had quite a tricky time in the past few seasons. He had a back problem last season and then came back and broke his thumb. At the beginning of this season he had the same back problem. He has been training hard so we had put him on the bench on Saturday. Unfortunately, he had only been on the pitch for 20 minutes when he broke his leg. It is a big blow for James and for us because he is a quality player and had just started a new job last week as well. We definitely won't see him play again this season."

Gypsy Lane doesn't hold fond memories for Baker. "Two seasons ago he was airlifted off the pitch with the back injury, which was the start of his problems," said Huggins. "So it is not a lucky place for him. As for the game, we went to Frome with five regulars missing. The people who filled in did their jobs, but not quite good enough. We lost our scrum half Owen Hymers with an ankle injury in the 15th minute and Paul Roberts, who had not played in that position before, had to fill in. Things went from bad to worse, but Frome are a quality side and we didn't play on the day."

Wimborne: R Lynch, Murphy, Tinsdale, Jordan, Davis, Atkins, Lennon, Hicks, Hymers (Moore 15), Roberts, Huggins, Chapman, Stephens, King, Gee. Used subs: Baker (60), Beavers (70).

Points key to push for title says Dave
By Neil Meldrum (Daily Echo)

DAVE Huggins reckons the race for promotion in Southern Counties South could come down to points difference.

And the All Blacks captain has called for his charges to "keep their foot on the gas" if they want to keep up with the division's pace-setters.

Wimborne edged out a battling Ivel Barbarians outfit 13-0 at Leigh Park on Saturday and while Huggins was pleased with the clean sheet, he insists more points are needed to be in the promotion shake-up after Christmas.

Huggins, pictured, said: "We finished well and kept a clean sheet, so that was pleasing. We're still trying to find different combinations in the team and playing different players in different positions.

"We're pleased with where we are after three wins, but there is still work to be done.

"We ground out the win again, but sides like Trowbridge and Frome are really putting the points on the board. At the end of the season, it might come down to points difference so we really need to start getting some scores. We really need to keep our foot on the gas."

The All Blacks, resplendent in new shirts for this season, were forced to push hard against a well-drilled Ivel squad.

It took some strong work from prop Russ Tinsdale to finally breach the Barbarians defence, the big tight head crashing over for the first half's only try.

Huggins' side doubled their advantage, however, just after the restart with Marcus Atkins touching down to make it 10-0.

And once fly-half Paul Roberts had smashed over a sublime 35-metre drop goal with 10 minutes remaining, there was no way back for Ivel.

Wimborne: R Lynch, Murphy, Tinsdale, Jordan, Davis, Atkins, Davey, O'Bryan, Llewellyn, Roberts, Huggins, Chapman, Stephens, Hymers, K Lynch. Subs: Lennon (50), Moore (70), Hicks (65).

Oaks and Wim are in the mix
By Neil Meldrum (Daily Echo)

OAKMEADIANS and Wimborne appear to be setting themselves up for a titanic battle at the top of Southern Counties South, after both Dorset sides claimed maximum points at the weekend.

The All Blacks were forced to come from behind for the second week running as they eventually overcame North Dorset 17-13.

Marcus Atkins gave Wimborne the perfect start with a try early in the first half, but North hit back to go into the break 13-5 to the good.

But a cracking second-half performance and efforts from Dave Stephens, Chris Hicks and a conversion from fly-half Paul Roberts sealed the points for Dave Huggins' troops.

Huggins said: "It was our goal to get that first away win out of the way, but as soon as the whistle goes, we have to play rugby instead of letting the other team get ahead of us."

Wimborne: Tinsdale, Murphy, R Lynch, Davies, Jordan, Davey, Atkins, Hicks, Llewellyn, Roberts, Chapman, Stephens, Huggins, Hymers, K Lynch. Subs: Coulling, O'Bryan, Beevers.

Wimborne edge out Sherborne
By Neil Meldrum (Daily Echo)

WIMBORNE manager Andy Read felt his side had only shown "glimpses" of what they can achieve after the All Blacks limped to a narrow 26-23 victory against Sherborne.

The Leigh Park side found themselves 18-0 down midway through the first period, before fly-half Paul Roberts closed the gap by converting captain Dave Huggins' try under the posts.

Sherborne increased their advantage with another try after the break, before full-back Karim Lynch crashed over and Roberts converted to reduce the arrears to 23-14.
Huggins added his second try of the match just moments later and Roberts was again on target with the two points as Wimborne surged forward.

Then, with the score at 21-23 and just five minutes left on the clock, wing Martin Chapman piled over in the corner to clinch the points for Read's side.

Read said: "We had the courage of our convictions, but only showed glimpses of what we can achieve."

Wimborne: Moore, Murphy, Tinsdale, Warfolk, Jordan, Atkins, Davey, Hicks, Llewellyn, Roberts, Huggins, K Lynch, Chapman, Stephens, Hymers. Subs: O'Bryan, Lennon, R Lynch.