CORSHAM can clinch the Dorset & Wilts One North title this weekend after overturning a half-time deficit to defeat Melksham 24-10 at Oakfields on Saturday.

The champions-elect stretched their flawless winning record to 19 games this season as Ben Russell crossed for a brace of tries and Lewis Jones and Jack Beazer also touched down, Kalif Barnes adding two conversions.

Melksham led 10-5 at half-time but Corsham dominated the second half to score three tries and take the bonus-point success.

The home side were first on the board with Charlie Radcliffe carrying over from a quick tap and go, fly-half Callum Hurn adding the extras and later adding a penalty before the break.

Corsham head coach Tim Draper, whose side host nearest challengers Warminster this weekend, said: "Playing into a very strong wind in the first half we were too loose and made a lot of errors which Melksham took advantage of.

"We tightened up our attacking play in the second half, used the conditions well, created and finished some good scoring opportunities.''

Pewsey Vale maintained their slim hopes of a top-four finish as they comprehensively put hosts Devizes 2nd to the sword 63-0.

The 11-try whitewash was driven by Vale's dominance in the scrummage, which went uncontested for the final 20 minutes of the game.

Number eight Phil Vallis had two tries in the first 10 minutes, first from a pushover scrum then from a lineout steal and a 30-metre run to the corner.

Two quickly-taken tap penalties brought tries for fly-half James Haynes followed by flanker Olly Spence, James Haynes converting the latter.

With five minutes to half-time a 40-metre break by centre Jamie Fox was stopped 10 metres short but a neat offload sent wing Will Bowerman in for the try.

Lock Karl Crosbie was next in between the sticks after the break, Haynes adding the extras before hooker Jeremy Horton took advantage of a mis-kicked restart to add another.

Crosbie scored the next two and, in the last five minutes, two tries followed from centre Chris Takel, who collected a kick and ran in from halfway avoiding four defenders. Haynes finished off the game with a similar effort, both converted.

Minety were leapfrogged in the table by opponents Royal Wootton Bassett 2nd after a 19-12 defeat.

With club captain Andrew Hibbard unavailable, the village side were further hampered when vice captain Will North pulled out ill on the morning of the match and then hugely influential centre Jack Ward turned an ankle in the warm-up and was withdrawn.

The hastily re-arranged formation fell behind to a Bassett try in the ninth minute but the visitors responded when an attack orchestrated by scrum-half Garin Garland ended with centre John Blair offloading to Tom Windle for the try.

Garland converted, but Bassett regained the lead with one of their first attacks of the second half.

The match was settled in a dramatic 90-second period starting in the 74th minute as Minety skipper Tom Claxton and winger Dave Cooke combined to send full-back Chris Rule over before, straight from the kick-off, the ball was spilled and Bassett picked up and ran in for their third, and decisive, try beneath the posts.