RUGBY: MAKE no mistake about it, this Salisbury team is good. Very good, writes Stuart McArdell.

The trouble is, they're having to punch well above their weight week in, week out and that saps the strength over 80 minutes.

Last week they had Wimborne. This week they faced Maidenhead, conceding an average of two stone per man in the forwards.

Apart from increasing the number of Weetabix every morning, it's difficult to know what more the team - or the coach's - can do to counter this purely physiological problem.

Despite four enforced positional changes, Salisbury used the blustery tail wind to full advantage in the first half and started with an early penalty from stand-off Dave Bell who was outstanding in the number ten shirt.

This was followed by a superb three's move which gave Martin Westall, drafted in as emergency wing, a fine try, again converted by Bell.

Maidenhead drove into Salisbury's 22 from the restart and showed their centre's pace with an excellent try but soon conceded another penalty which Bell used to stretch the lead to 13-5.

Back came Maidenhead again using their huge forwards as a battering ram to secure a converted try. However, from the re-start, Salisbury's drive secured a third penalty from Bell's boot to give them a four point lead at the interval.

Now Maidenhead had wind advantage and used it to secure two early tries and a penalty to reverse the lead to 26-16.

An hour of remorseless, bone crunching, strength-sapping tackling and Salisbury were tiring.

The replacements flooded on, including young colt Steve Howden for his first XV debut.

But Maidenhead gave their visitors no chance to settle and ran in two more tries to finish the game victors by 39 points to 16.

Salisbury coach Ken Lawson commented on the size and pedigree of Maidenhead's team saying: "They have big, mature players. The fly half would be playing for Bracknell if it were not for his job and the Samoan number eight was playing earlier this season for Narberth in Wales but they ran out of money.

"By contrast, Salisbury have good intentions and young willing players. No surprises at the end result, but I really take my hat off to the players and the way they have accepted the challenge of this league.

"We should stay up in this league, and if we do, that is testimony to the young guns. Well done them.

"Marcus Olsen did extremely well. But Dinger Bell was outstanding. The pack were heroes. This is not hyperbole merely a reflection of respective merits."

On Saturday, Salisbury face another big test in the shape of league leaders Oxford Harle-quins who beat them 35-28 on the opening day of the season. Salisbury will be hoping that a full strength first team, plus a large and vocal crowd will lift them to unparalleled heights at their Castle Road ground.