MARVELLOUS Marvin Brooks settled in Poole Town ’s favour a scrappy derby as the Dorset bragging rights remained at Tatnam yesterday.

Brooks netted his third goal of the season with a towering far-post header in the 27th minute as the Dolphins were rewarded for their first-half supremacy in a 1-0 victory.

However, although the tide turned after the break, a combination of solid goalkeeping from Nick Hutchings and errant finishing prevented the Magpies from claiming a share of the spoils.

Wimborne had a double let-off early on when referee Mark Derrien, who was nowhere near the incident, deemed Nathan Peprah-Annan’s foul on Karim Lammali had been committed outside the penalty area, even if it looked a good yard inside.

And although the resultant free-kick from Carl Preston found its way into the back of the net through a crowd of players, the effort was chalked off for a mysterious offside.

However, there was no reprieve in the 27th minute, although Poole’s opening goal owed much to an error by ex-Dolphins goalkeeper Dan Ackerman, whose missed punch to a Simon Baines cross proved costly.

Preston, who seized on the loose ball and saw his shot cleared off the line by Jordan Cole, retrieved the rebound and crossed to the far post where Brooks climbed to power home a firm header.

Wimborne offered precious little in the way of attacking threat throughout the first half and were fortunate to reach the break trailing only to Brooks’s goal.

It was a different story, however, in the second half and Jamie Davidson was denied an equaliser when Poole goalkeeper Hutchings saved with his legs from the Wimborne man.

Davidson then lifted a glorious chance straight into the grateful arms of Hutchings before Dave Sturgess fired wide for the Dolphins.

Striker Steve Brown, signed from Alton on the morning of the match, headed narrowly wide following a Keith Emmerson’s free-kick before Kevin Gill’s shot flew past the post.

Ex-Dolphins striker Steve Smith squandered a gilt-edged opportunity to deny his former club all three points when he clipped the ball over an unguarded net nine minutes from time.

And Wimborne’s misfortune was summed up in the closing stages when Davidson’s cross-shot came back off the crossbar before referee Derrien turned down their claims for a penalty after Tom Jeffes had gone to ground under an Emmerson challenge.

Dolphins: Hutchings, Baines (O’Donnell, 75), Spetch, Emmerson, Walker, Richardson, Lammali (Price, 70), Sturgess (Kay, 70), Preston, Brown, Brooks. Unused subs: Beasley, Chudy.

Magpies: Ackerman, Arnold, Cole (Jeffes, 81), Costello, Peprah-Annan, Blake, Gill, Hubbard, Smith, Davidson, Webb (Kemble, 70). Unused subs: Sainsbury, Roast, Maybury.