Dorset & Wilts Div One North

Devizes II 3

Fairford 24

FAIRFORD put in a solid performance to pick up a first away win of the new season with an impressive display at Devizes.

The opening skirmishes were even and despite Devizes having more of the ball, tough tackling from loose forwards Aidan Kelly, 'Taf' Braithwaite and Ben Crocker kept them at arms length and the away side looked more dangerous on the attack. Both teams exchanged penalties to make it 3-3.

The equalising penalty riled Fairford and from then they switched up a gear. Sustained pressure in the Devizes' 22 was rewarded with a scrum. They drove to within metres of the line from where Kelly offloaded to Will Bowers to score.

Bowers was injured in scoring, however, paving the way for the evergreen Josh Lenthall to make his playing return to the club as the elder statesman of a side with an average age of just 22.

The rest of the half petered out with Devizes keeping possession but proving largely ineffective due to some staunch Fairford defending.

Fairford started off the second half where they left the first. Almost immediately from the restart full back Harry Johnson made a break and beat several defenders before passing to débutant Ed Keogh who fed Crocker to score under the posts.

Once again, though, Fairford sat back on their lead and invited pressure, but Devizes' ineptitude meant they created little.

They were also denied any real platform from the set piece where the front row trio of Sawyer, Goodey and Stobbs wraught havoc.

Fairford capped a fine performance by scoring with the last touch of the game, Scrum half Andy Waite made a break from a scrum before rounding the full back to score and subsequently convert.