Longlevens RFC

Longlevens Rugby 40-31 North Dorset RFC

Longlevens produced a remarkable late turnaround at Oxtalls to claim a 40–31 victory over North Dorset, despite trailing for 75 minutes of a rollercoaster contest.

With Longford Lane still waterlogged, the Griffins were once again forced to play at Oxtalls, but there was little sense of home comfort in a bruising opening half hour. North Dorset controlled territory and possession, dictating the tempo while Longlevens struggled to build any fluency. Repeatedly restricted to one or two phases, the Griffins found their momentum stifled by errors and relentless breakdown pressure.

The visitors made their dominance count, crossing for two well-crafted tries and adding a penalty to storm into a 17–0 lead after 30 minutes — a margin that reflected their authority.

Just as the game threatened to slip away, Longlevens found a lifeline. Matt Smith sparked the revival with a superb individual try, bursting through the narrowest of gaps before stepping the cover to score. Harry Atkinson added the conversion to reduce the deficit to 7–17.

On the stroke of half-time, belief grew further. Joe Weatherley, in typically rampaging fashion, powered over to give the hosts genuine hope heading into the interval. One successful conversion from Atkinson meant the Griffins trailed just 12–17 at the break, somehow back in contention.

Any hopes of a composed second-half resurgence were dashed almost immediately. A failure to secure the restart gifted North Dorset prime field position, and they punished the lapse to stretch their lead to 24–12.

To their credit, Longlevens responded. Digging in, they worked their way back into the contest and Dave Edwards crossed to close the gap to 19–24. However, the visitors struck again to make it 31–19, leaving the Griffins staring defeat squarely in the face.

For much of the afternoon, there was little cohesion to Longlevens’ play. Handling errors, inefficiency at the breakdown and an inability to sustain pressure prevented any real rhythm. Yet as the match entered its final quarter, the tide began to turn.

The last 15 minutes saw a transformed Longlevens side — sharper in execution, more direct in approach and suddenly clinical. From 19–31 down, the Griffins ran in three unanswered tries to complete a stunning turnaround.

Matt Fatica struck twice as the forward pack began to assert real authority, punching holes in a tiring defence. Edwards then added his second of the afternoon to cap a remarkable late surge and swing the scoreboard decisively in the home side’s favour.

A pivotal moment came when Ed Glanville replaced the injured Tom Barton and assumed kicking responsibilities from Atkinson. With composure under pressure, Glanville was impeccable from the tee, converting every late score to nudge Longlevens ahead and ultimately seal the 40–31 triumph.

It was a dramatic finish to a match that had appeared beyond them for so long. While the overall performance lacked polish and there remains plenty to refine on the training pitch, the resilience and character shown were undeniable.

Man of the Match honours went to Sam Reynolds, outstanding in the back row with a tireless display in both attack and defence throughout a demanding afternoon.

Not a vintage performance, but a hugely important victory. Focus now shifts to a must-win trip to Keynsham next week, where a far more complete 80-minute display will be needed