With the spring sun beating down and the hard ground more akin to concrete than turf, it was the visitors who made the brighter start. Dockers crossed the line inside the opening three minutes, quickly adding a penalty to open up an early 8-0 advantage and set the tone for the match.

That jolted Salisbury into action, and the remainder of the first half proved a much more evenly balanced contest. The home side were rewarded for their persistence deep into injury time when second-row Ben Holgate powered over for a well-deserved try, reducing the deficit to 5-8 at the break.

Whatever was in the Dockers’ half-time refreshments clearly did the trick. They came out firing and ran in three tries in a ruthless ten-minute spell, stretching their lead and taking firm control of the match.

Salisbury, to their credit, regrouped and launched a series of attacks in response. Winger Stu Budgell appeared to have scored a second for the hosts, only for it to be ruled out by the referee. Moments later, Budgell made no mistake, dotting down a try that was duly converted by fly-half Angus Aitken.

The final quarter saw just one more score—a fourth try for Dockers—who secured a convincing 32-12 win and a place in the final.

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Report: Joe Cooper
Photos: John Palmer

Despite the result, Salisbury’s second string showed great spirit and determination and will take positives from their run in the competition.