RUGBY: Leicestershire 24 Dorset & Wilts 22 (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

RUGBY: Leicestershire 24 Dorset & Wilts 22

12:25pm Monday 21st May 2012 in Rugby

THERE will be no third Twickenham final in succession for Dorset & Wilts after an agonising last-gasp defeat for the Twin Counties in Saturday's County Championship Shield semi final.

A penalty try deep in injury time robbed the two-time reigning champions of the opportunity to make it a hat-trick as Leicestershire booked a final berth against last year's beaten finalists Surrey this Sunday.

The visitors made the better start and got wing Robbie Searle scored a try, converted by Swindon fly-half Adam Westall.

Leicestershire though roared back and, setting the tone for the afternoon, their forwards drove towards the line where Luke Coltman scored, fly-half Mark Lord adding the extras.

The Twin Counties though, grabbed the lead against the run of play before half time as centre Scott Chislett intercepted and touched down, Westall again converting.

But the home pack were proving an irresistible force and drove over again in the second half, Lord adding the extras to tie the scores once more.

Lord booted a penalty given as the Dorset & Wilts scrum creaked but back came the visitors, full-back Karim Lynch's run setting up wing Ben Stewart for an unconverted try.

Westall added a penalty to make it 22-17 with six minutes to go but they were unable to hold on, referee Luke Haskins finally losing patience and awarding a decisive penalty try after the hosts had scrummaged them back for more than 10 minutes of injury time.

Dorset & Wilts: Karim Lynch (Bournemouth), Robbie Searle (Bournemouth); Charlie Elton (Bradford on Avon), Scott Chislett (Bournemouth), Ben Stewart (Bournemouth), Adam Westall (Swindon), Sam Hardcastle (Bournemouth), Alan Low (Swindon), Frazer Wilford (Bournemouth), Richard Carrel (Bournemouth), Chris Hughes (Bournemouth), Rhys Jones (Corsham), Jack Hennings (Bournemouth), Tony Dunkerley (Bournemouth), Liam Gilbert (Chinnor).

Substitutes (rolling): Dan Hobbs (Salisbury), Gareth Blackborrow (Salisbury), Callum Forrest (Bournemouth), Bobby Lyons (Chippenham), Tim Berry (Swindon), Connal Knot (Swindon), Charlie Vine (Swindon).

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