Sun 16 Nov 2025, 12:00
This Marlborough Rugby Under 16s fixture was a 'must-win' in the minds of the Marlborough boys, even with only 14 players available and some players turning out in new or different positions.
It was played in really good spirits and was a high-scoring match with the lead swapping between teams - it seemed like every 10 minutes!
North Dorset were organised and a very similiarly-matched team to Marlborough. Mistakes were made by both teams and it was an increasingly physical back-and-forth encounter, which was hard to keep up with.
Marlborough did make it hard for themselves losing possession or giving away cheap penalties at times.
The last fifteen minutes was an especially tense period. With Marlborough ahead, North Dorset rallied and scored through strong attacking play, exposing the tiring Marlborough defence.
With North Dorset having converted all their tries and Marlborough not being so accurate from the tee, it looked almost inevitable that North Dorset would take the 'W'... However, the Marlborough boys dug deep and scored to take the lead with just a few minutes remaining... and then they held on for the win!
Final score: Marlborough Rugby U16 45-42 North Dorset U16 Boys
A great game of Junior rugby on The Common; both teams would have been equally deserving of the win for the boys' sheer effort and teamwork.
