DEVIZES boosted their hopes of a top-four finish in Southern Counties South with a 31-19 victory away at Dorset Dockers.

Devizes started well, building phases and looking threatening. However, veteran prop Tom Reed withdrew from the action, so Dean Curle came on in his place.

The visitors continued to build and after a Dockers infringement at the breakdown, the ball was kicked to touch and Devizes rumbled forward from the lineout, allowing number eight and captain for the day Josh Gould to ground the ball. Rory Brown dispatched the extras.

Devizes continued in the ascendancy, creating an overlap for Chris Barter to play in Lewis Paget, who went over to make it 12-0.

Dockers then had their best spell in the first half, looking threatening out wide with some powerful and pacey runners. However, superb tackling deprived them of the platform.

Devizes finished the second half on a high as Brown jinked his way through from a quick tap penalty to put the Saddlebacks into a commanding 17-0 lead at the break.

The second half saw Dockers rejuvenated and they scored a well-worked converted try, offloading the ball into contact and allowing runners to come into the line at pace.

Devizes responded with some phases to send the backs in close before a surging run from Paget saw him bundle over the line, with Brown converting.

Dockers then upped the pressure and when Chris Barter was sent to the bin after an offence at the breakdown, the home side duly created the overlap to go over to make it 24-14.

The hosts had the wind in their sails and before Barter’s return to the field, they scored another try out wide to reduce the scores to five points with just a few minutes remaining.

At this point, Scott Martin came on for Charlie Paget and within the seconds the young Devizes flanker won his side a penalty at the breakdown.

A quick tap put Dockers on the back foot and after a surging charge from Craig Bryant, the Saddlebacks flanker offloaded to the supporting Tom Collins, who bundled over from close range for the final score of the day, converted by Brown.