CORSHAM head coach Tim Draper saluted the efforts of his squad as last season's Dorset & Wilts One North champions began life in Southern Counties South with a hard-fought 12-7 win at Frome.

The visitors took control of the game as Hamish Milner and Jack Beazer crossed the line in each half, Matt Draper landing a conversion.

Frome battled back with a converted try and cranked up the pressure in the latter stages but Corsham held out to ensure a winning start in their new division.

Draper said: "It was a very close game and the result could have gone either way. The defence held strong though and we showed great resilience to hold on for the win.

"It was a fantastic result to start the season and gives us something to build on over the coming weeks.

"I'm delighted for the players as they have worked hard in pre-season to prepare for the step up into this league.''

Devizes started their campaign in the perfect fashion as they wrapped up a bonus-point 28-3 triumph over new boys Yeovil at the Chivers Ground.

The visitors arrived as last season's Dorset & Wilts One South champions but were put to the sword as the Saddlebacks touched down for four tries.

In a scrappy first half Yeovil seized the lead with a penalty before Devizes lost centre Mark Carter to injury.

But as the hosts upped the ante, Carter's replacement Freddie Holmes touched down in the corner and captain Rory Brown slotted the conversion.

Both sides lost a player to the sin-bin, scrum-half John Bramwell seeing yellow for the home side, and Brown missed a penalty for the Saddlebacks but they were ahead after half-time as Craig Bryant bundled his way over the try line.

Brown converted that, as he did when a Yeovil overthrow at a lineout allowed Matt Bishop to charge over from close range.

Bryant's second and a fourth Brown conversion wrapped up the maximum points.

Marlborough were also first-day winners as they squeezed past Bath side Walcot 29-22.

The home side delivered a below-par first half as Walcott stormed into a 17-7 lead, the home response coming from Lotu Ngungutau, who powered over for a converted try.

The second half saw repeated penalties being conceded by Marlborough and eventually the sin-binning of fly-half Jake Williams.

When he returned he moved to scrum-half and began to control the game.

Tries for Jack Lynd, with a powerful run, and Williams with a break from a ruck turned the game in the home side's favour.

In Dorset & Wilts Two North, Alfred's Nomads beat Colerne 41-10.