Blandford 1st XV left the crowd of supporters gathered for their annual VP day smiling with a hard fought win over early high-flyers North Dorset.

Blandford set the tempo early on but were punished from broken play and North Dorset managed to free their winger who scored in the corner!!

Blandford replied immediately with a superb catch and drive that saw the impressive Charlie Richards peel off and crash over. Doug Baker converted then added a penalty kick soon after to nudge Blandford into the lead. Blandford then started to take control with their forwards securing fantastic ball and rumbling down the pitch, further tries for the hard working Andy Williamson and Chris Kerley soon followed! Blandford looked to have the game won but a moment of red mist from prop Joe Grinter saw him receive a yellow card reducing Blandford to 14 men! North Dorset took full advantage and worked the space well managing to level the scores up at 27 - 27! This made for a very tense last 15 minutes but Blandford managed to hold their nerves, secure good ball and release their backs, who put together some great phases of play that were finished off superbly by Rhys Hughes who is in fine scoring form and Lee Haim who touched down in the final seconds of play to add some sweetness to the victory!!

final score 39-27

The hard work and effort put in by Blandford's new coaching team made up of Mike Pyrgos and Andy Marriott from Bryanston School backed up by Chris Curtis, a well known figure in Dorset who not only coaches but manages the 1st XV is beginning to show dividends and with the addition of new training lights due very soon, Blandford are looking forward to a successful season.

Report submitted by: Justin Frampton, Blandford Rugby Club Chairman

Blandford 1st XV maintained their winning form at home with a clinical win against Frome II. The first 10 minutes saw Frome dictate possession, Blandfords' defense held firm and as soon as they stole possession the forwards rumbled up the park giving the backs a great platform. After a few incisive runs up the park Jimi Collis took an inside ball from his fly half to smash through the Frome defense and crash over the line.

This sparked a ruthless spell from Blandford as their backs started to run riot. Outside centre Paddy made a series of brilliant breaks which led to a try for himself and one for full back Ben Krauss. Fly Half Doug Baker then slipped through a huge gap in the Frome defense to score under the posts. Ben Krauss then added a great solo effort to seal a great first half performance.

The second half got off to a slower start. Frome were trying everything to get back into the match and managed to contain and frustrate Blandford. But with the home teams tails up Frome could only hold on so long and more tries soon followed. With a new look front row the Blandford Pack were showing their dominance, dictating the scrums and popping up all over the park, leading to tries for Andy Williamson and birthday boy Marc Ricketts. This dominance gave the backs a great platform and they used it well. Inside centre Olly Burry smashing over for a try. Doug Baker and captain James Burry linked up twice that led to a second try for Baker. Finally straight from kick off James MaCrae reclaimed the ball, went wide and released winger Lee Haim who showed a clean pair of heals to the opposition defense to seal the scoring for the second time in two weeks.

Final Score Blandford 71 Frome 0

Report submitted by: Justin Frampton, Blandford Rugby Club Chairman

Under leadership from vice captain Doug Baker, Blandford 1st XV team kept their impressive winning streak on track with a bonus point win away at top of the league Bournemouth 3rds.

Blandford had to absorb a lot of pressure from the home team in the first 20 minutes, and it looked like it was going to be a tight affair. It was only when Rhys Hughes rose high to collect a chip over the defensive line and accelerate past the cover to score in the corner that Blandford started to come to life.

Blandford hit the ground running in the second half dominating possession and stretching the Bournemouth defence. The introduction of international flanker, Joe Brake, added some more dynamism to Blandford's open play. With the defence tired and stretched Blandford took a quick penalty, put in a cross field kick which was collected again by Rhys Hughes, who linked up with centre partner James Macrae, who powered over the line for his 2nd try of the season!

This sparked a brilliant 10 minute spell from Blandford which first saw a fantastic individual effort from the full back, beating 3 men and scoring under the posts. Then Blandford put together possibly the best move of the season seeing the front row combo of Matt Pearce and Jon Young rumbling up the park exchanging passes, setting up the backs who went wide and released -man of the match- Tom Christopher fending off two covering tackles to score in the corner, securing a bonus point win.

Bournemouth did rally in the last 3 minutes managing a consolation try.

Final score Blandford 22 Bournemouth 3rds 5

Report submitted by: Justin Frampton, Blandford Rugby Club Chairman

Blandford Rugby Club stepped up another gear this weekend with a huge bonus point win over Westbury RFC.

Both teams observed a minutes silence before the game to the memory of Julie Christopher, who passed away the week before and will be sadly missed.

Blandford took control early on, securing excellent ball and enjoying dynamic interplay between backs and forwards. Steve Hancock capitalised on this possession controlling the game from the scrum half position and subsequently putting Blandford captain James Burry through a gap in the Westbury defense to score unopposed under the posts. This set the tone for the rest of game and Blandford never took their foot off the pedal, controlling the set play and being ruthless in the open, seeing backs and forwards making huge strides up the pitch. A highlight from the supporters was seeing tight head prop Matt Pearce support a break from Doug Baker receive an offload on the 22 and beat two defenders to score his first try of the season under the posts. Converted excellently by flanker Andrew Williamson. Other scorers included:

James Burry, Doug Baker, Rhys Hughes, James Baker, Matt Pearce, Paddy Hughes, Lee Haim, Jimi Collis and James Macrae.

Westbury never let their heads drop and rallied towards the end to sore a consolation try.

Final Score Blandford 97 Wesbury 7

Report submitted by: Justin Frampton, Blandford Rugby Club Chairman

Blandford 1st XV continued their winning form even with some key members of the squad missing with a hard fought home win v Sherborne II's

Blandford started the match the stronger and were rewarded with a penalty that Fly Half Dougie Baker slotted over! Rhys Hughes was the next to get on the score sheet intercepting a pass on the halfway line and sprinting the length of the field, beating the full back to score near the corner. Baker converted making the score 10-0

Blandford continued forward pressure which saw them gain good field position in the Sherborne 22, the backs received quick ball on the front foot and through slick handling put Olly Burry through a gap to smash over under the posts! The resulting conversion by Baker leaving the Half Time score at 17-0.

Credit has to go to Sherborne who at Half Time completely changed their tactics and scored an early 2nd half try. This was followed by a Baker penalty and a superb try set up by Lee Haim and finished expertly by full back Ben Krauss.

Sherborne continued their onslaught on the Blandford defensive line with wave after wave of attacks being met with true 'bodies on the line' defense. However they did managed to break through to score three hard fought and well deserved second half tries to leave the final score at 25-22

Lee Mitchell was Blandfords man of the match with a superb flanking display in his maiden 1st team season!

Report submitted by: Doug Baker, Vice Captain

Blandford 1st XV celebrated their VP day with a convincing bonus point win over Bournemouth 3rds!

Blandford started the game at a very high tempo, straight from the kick off prop Matt Pearce smashed through a gap in the defense and almost went the length of the field! This sparked a ruthless first 30 minutes in which the Blandford backs sliced through the defensive line at will.

The first try came when winger Rhys Hughes rounded his winger and scored in the corner. Blandford kept the pressure on with the forwards securing good quick ball, this put Blandford on the front foot and led to the next try.

Fly Half Dougie Baker chipped the ball over the defence, collected the ball and rounded the full back to score. Then straight from the resulting restart Full Back Ben Krauss stepped past the opposition centre, rounded the cover winger and outpaced the full back to touch down in the corner.

Rhys Hughes again beat his winger, fending off two players to touch down unopposed leaving the half time score at 20-0.

Blandford were always going to struggle to keep up such a furious pace and Bournemouth struck back with a try of their own. Blandford did respond with two more second half tries through Doug Baker and a try for Captain James Burry off a fantastic line-out move orchestrated by Ben Jones, converted by Ben Krauss.

Final Score: Blandford 32 Bournemouth 5. A fantastic win for Blandford who move 14 points clear at the top of the Dorset and Wilts Div 1 (South) league.

A big thank you to all those supporters who turned out on a bitterly cold afternoon to cheer on the 1st and 2nd XVs.

Report submitted by: Doug Baker, Vice Captain

Blandford 1st XV travelled to Westbury looking for another five point win to keep them clear at the top of D&W 1.

On a very windy day the game started with huge commitment from both packs with Blandford spending most of the time in Westbury's 22 and the trys came, followed by some good backs moves, Tom Christopher scored after coming on as a blood replacement for 2 minutes then leaving the field again.

With some good scrummaging and a strong break from the back of the scrum James Burry powered over.

With the strong wind hampering any sort of kicking game, it was left to the pack to stamp their authority, Curtis Rosam making his debut for the 1st XV had very little time on the park but showed good intent, before being awarded a yellow, and Andy Willliamson joining him shortly after, down to 13 men Blandford held out with a 6 man scrum holding Westbury off, a huge defensive effort giving them a bonus point win.

Blandford now look forward to the Final against Weymouth this weekend.

Report submitted by: Justin Frampton, Blandford Rugby Club Chairman

Blandford 1st continued their remarkable 20 match winning streak with a nail biting win over Slough in the Southern Counties Senior Vase semi final!

Blandford started all guns blazing with the forwards laying down a marker by destroying the first scrum. This gave the backs a great platform and allowed fly half Doug Baker to ghost through a gap in the defensive line, chip the full back and slide in to score under the posts. Converting his try leaving the score 7-0 to the away side. This led to an impressive 10 minute spell for Blandford who's forwards continued to smash over the Slough defensive line putting together phase after phase. This gave the backs more front foot ball and a cross field kick from the Blandford 10 led to a try in the corner for Rhys Hughes, converted by Baker to make the score 14-0!

The heavens then opened and turned the pitch into a sticky mud bath. This suited the heavier Slough forwards who started to assert themselves. This change of game plan lead to two well worked tries for Slough leaving the score at half time 12-14 to Blandford.

After the half time whistle Blandford hit the self destruct button allowing Slough to feed off their mistakes and score a well taken converted try to leave the score at 19-14 to Slough. An injury to a Slough player allowed Blandford to collect themselves and they were a different side in the last 20 mins, again putting good phases of play together but could not find the final pass.

With 79 mins on the clock Man of the Match Matt Pearce smashed through the cover tackles allowing veteran scrum half Nick Frampton to score a try in the corner to level the game at 19-19. Doug Baker converted the resulting conversion off the inside of the upright to seal the win for Blandford with the final kick of the game leading to huge celebrations for the players, travelling fans and coach Chris Curtis.

Report submitted by: Doug Baker, Vice Captain

Blandford RFC continued their success with an incredible 16th League win and 21st win in all competitions away at Ivel Barbarians.

Blandford kicked off and put immediate pressure on the opposition forwards, smashing against the Ivel defensive line then with a penalty pending Doug Baker slotted a well taken drop goal.

Ivel then took Blandford by surprise by scoring a well worked team try and then another straight after the restart to leave the away side in shock. Steve Hancock gave the away supporters a brief respite by finishing off some superb link up play with Jimi Collis by running over his opposition 9 to score in the corner. This left the score at 12 - 8 at half time with Baker missing a seemingly easy penalty kick.

The second half started much in the same vein with Blandford looking in control but making silly mistakes that Ivel continued to feed off. Their Full Back capitalizing and adding a penalty to take the score to 15-8. This sparked Blandford into motion and with the introduction of Joe Brake adding some ferocity to the break down, Blandford switched into the form they have shown all season and smashed over the line through James Burry. Blandford were now completly dominant and putting together some excellent phase play with backs and forwards linking up effortlessly. James Burry finished off one of the trys of the season that saw the ball go through at least 10 pairs of hands, making the score 18-8.

Blandford's back three of Krauss, Hughes and Haim had the final say with all three making searing breaks that led to trys for Haim and Hughes. Baker's conversion leaving the final score 30-15.

Thanks again to all the away support and Ivel's Hospitality.

Report submitted by: Doug Baker, Vice Captain

Blandford showed no signs of slowing down towards the end of the season as they convincingly beat a strong Wimborne side 60-0.

After a disjointed and physical first 10 minutes Blandford were put under pressure from Wimborne. The away side spent much of the first 10 minutes camping in their own half however it did not take long for Blandford to turn on the form they have shown for most of the season.

The Blandford Forwards were immense, winning all their own ball at scrum time and a fair amount against the head smashing rucks and linking up effortlessly with each other. Soon their dominance began to break up Wimbornes' valiant defensive effort and this gave the backs an excellent platform to attack.

In the second half it clicked for Blandford and Forwards and Backs started to fire on all cylinders, putting away almost every chance that came their way.

Among the try scorers were:
James Burry, Jon Young, Ben Krauss, Lee Haim, Paddy Hughes 2, Lawrence Collins, Rhys Hughes and Doug Baker.

Blandford now look ahead to next weekend where they host Alchester in the Southern Counties Senior Vase Final.

Report submitted by: Doug Baker, Vice Captain

Blandford were looking to get back to winning ways after losing last weekend in the Southern Counties Cup final to Achester which was a very hard fought game losing 19-7 with Blandford’s only try coming from Veteran fly half Nick Frampton.

A warm sunny day was perfect weather for running rugby, Blandford 1st XV’s v Sherborne 2nd XV, a top of the table clash with a lot at stake and a chance for Blandford to secure the Dorset and Wilts League 1 (South) title.

The game started at a quick pace with Ben Krauss kicking a penalty in the opening minutes and this opened the scoring flood gates, with some strong forward play. The front row of Jon Young, Jay Frampton and Matt Pearce dominating the scrums and lineout’s, securing quick ball for the backs to run in six tries before half time, Rhys Hughes continued his run of form producing some fantastic finishing along with Lee Hiam on the other wing.

Olly Burry and Paddy Hughes, a strong centre partnership, produced some strong direct running and made a lot of metres to get in to the right areas to score.

After some changes from both teams at half time Blandford's back row of James Burry, Jimi Collis and Pete Fleck showed good strength all around the park, securing fast ball, for Steve Hancock and James MacRea to distribute, with very strong direct running from the Ricketts brothers in the second row, saw two more good tries finished off, with committed tackling and superior fitness.

Blandford kept Sherborne out of the scoring zone producing a convincing win 47 – 0 securing the Dorset & Wilts League 1 (South) title and hopeful promotion to Southern Counties.

A very strong team performance with 18 straight league wins and 23 points clear on the top of the table, with two games to go.

The team would like to thank all the travelling supporters who watch every week, and their coaches Chris Curtis, Mike Pyrgos, Andy Marriott, Thanks.

Team: Jon Young, Jay Frampton, Matt Pearce, Alex Ricketts, Marc Ricketts, James Burry, Jimi Collis, Pete Fleck, Steve Hancock, James MacRea, Olly Burry, Paddy Hughes, Rhys Hughes, Ben Krauss, Ben Jones, Andy Williamson, Lawrence Collins and Coach Chris Curtis

Report submitted by: Justin Frampton, Blandford Rugby Club Chairman

Blandford travelled to Swans for the last game of the season looking for a win as Swans were the only team to have beaten Blandford (in the first game of the season) since then Blandford are unbeaten in the league.

A sunny afternoon made for some good running rugby, Lee Haim opened the scoring with a chip and chase from the half way, and he collected to score under the post, with the extras being added by Doug Baker.

The Blandford pack had another strong game always on the front foot, giving Steve Hancock an easy ride at scrum half. Some text book backs moves with strong support and running from the back row produced some quality tries from Hiam, Burry, Hughes, Christopher and, in his last game for the club before returning to New Zealand, Paddy Hughes had another storming game from full back adding to his try haul. With Tom Christopher back on the wing having a strong game and being awarded man of the match after coming back from injury.

At half time Blandford made the changes bringing on J.Frampton, Jimi Collis and Martin Bolton to replace the injured Pete Fleck, Marc Ricketts. Collis adding to the game from No8 picking and driving in to the heart of Swans, giving quick ball to the backs.

Swans had a good passage camping on Blandford's line but were held out until a well worked penalty move resulted in one score, this re ignited Blandford to finish strongly winning 39-7. A fantastic end to a very successful season, the team would like to thank all of the supporters who have travelled with them all season.

Report submitted by: Justin Frampton, Blandford Rugby Club Chairman