Dings Crusaders pay price for slow start

Bridgwater 32 Dings Crusaders 23

Dings saw their losing run extended as basement club Bridgwater gained their first points of the season.

The game was lost in the first half hour when the home side dominated possession and scored three good tries in a 10-minute spell that exposed the frailties of a Dings defence that now boasts the second worst defensive stats in the league.

Bridgwater took the lead with a Liam Chennells penalty on eight minutes but Dings hit back five minutes later when, with their first real possession, full-back Jack Tovey produced a good angled run to split the home defence and set up a try for flanker Mitch Quoi, which was converted by Adam Westall.

Bridgwater continued to hold sway and got their reward at the end of the first quarter with three unanswered tries in 10 minutes.

The first two went to prop Kane Palma-Newport, who crashed over twice from close range after good breaks first by scrum-half Matt Britton and then by skipper and No 8 Ben Purcell.

The third try went to full back Euan Coombs after Dings lost a line-out on halfway, recovered the ball and promptly turned it over again. Chennells missed all three conversions but the home side still led 18-7 at half-time.

The second half was much more even as Dings secured a fair share of the ball at last. Chennells and Westall exchanged penalties in the first five minutes and Westall dropped a goal for Dings after a solid period of pressure which was cancelled out by another Chennells penalty on 50 minutes

On the hour, Dings reduced the arrears to four points with a try from wing Orlando Stott which was set up by a barnstorming run by prop Tim Brockett.

Westall added the conversion to peg Bridgwater's lead to 24-20 going into the final quarter.

Bridgwater secured the game and a bonus point with their fourth try on 70 minutes when wing Sam Showering touched down in the corner after Dings had given up possession deep in their own 22 after electing not to clear their lines.

Westall looked to have secured a losing bonus point for Dings with a penalty on 75 minutes but Dings dropped the kick-off, were penalised at the resultant scrum and Chennells landed his best kick of the match to leave the visitors pointless.