ROYAL Wootton Bassett docked into second place in Southern Counties South with a 22-7 win on the road.

The result at Dorset Dockers was never in doubt as Alan Low’s side, depleted with seven absentees, secured their third win in succession.

Kyle Lovell got the first try of the game 25 minutes in, after a sustained forward drive saw him go over in the corner.

The conversion was missed but Bassett were able to give themselves a 10-point cushion before the break when Chris Patterson drove over the line and the referee awarded the try for forward momentum.

Lovell then got his second of the game five minutes after the interval, with David Hogg converting, before the back-rower completed his hat-trick by grabbing the bonus-point try.

Tim Gallimore then raced 20 metres to complete Bassett’s scoring before Dockers finished the game with a consolation converted try.

“The boys did well and we probably had seven guys missing in the end,” said Low, who ended up on the bench.

“They came at us quite hard early on and within the first three minutes they completed a crossfield kick and the winger was just in touch as they put the ball down. That revitalised us a little bit.

“Against a reasonably strong wind we spent most of the first half camped down in their 22.

“We just weren’t able to get across the line and couldn’t finish the scores off.

“Then we turned round and the pressure from the forwards started to tell.

“We went into the game saying that we didn’t want to give them too much opportunity to play with the ball in hand, because they are a side that like to run around a lot, and we played a tight game.”

While Low was pleased with the result he was also happy to see the strength in depth that the club have been working on bearing the fruits of their labour.

“There were a number of good performances on the day. We had a young Colt, Josh McCafferty, making his first-team debut and he played out of position and was fantastic,” added the Ballards Ash boss.

“That is four or five lads now who have made first-team debuts out of the Colts and we’re really starting to see these guys coming up through the system we put in place.

“To go into a game against a team in the top four in the league with that many players unavailable – in the past I would have been really worried and we would have been scratching our head with how to get a side out.

“Luckily the decisions in selection now are the other way around.

“To have that many players out and still get the three results we did was absolutely amazing.”