BOURNEMOUTH bagged a much-needed boost in their bid for survival with a convincing 29-15 victory over high-flying Brixham in National Three South West. 

Tries from Matt Warwick, Jack Hennings, Grant Hancox and Alan Benham handed Lions, under the guidance of recently-appointed coaches Craig White and Dan Connolly, a bonus-point success over their third-placed opponents. 

Having taken a ninth-minute lead, Bournemouth remained in front throughout despite having three players sin-binned across the 80 minutes at a windswept Chapel Gate.

The win, which extended to five matches Lions' unbeaten sequence on home soil, proved crucial with relegation rivals Barnstaple, Old Patesians, Old Redcliffians and Oxford Harlesquins all winning. 

Bournemouth led after nine minutes when Warwick pounced on an errant pass and burst from his own half to register the opening try. Lewis Dennett defied the swirling wind to add the extras.

The hosts were immediately put on the back foot and spent the next seven minutes desperately defending their line, surviving the concession of several knock-ons before Dennett eventually thumped clear.

But Brixham built another spell of sustained pressure and in the end relented in their pursuit of a try when Andy Sandercock planted the first kicked penalty of the afternoon between the sticks.

Undeterred, Lions succeeded in hitting straight back. An impressive passage of play in a tight area allowed Jack Hennings jink his way through for try number two. Dennett again made no mistake.

With the wind in their sails, Bournemouth went for the throat and having spread play down the left, full-back Grant Hancox touched down in the far corner with Dennett unable to make it three out of three with the boot from the least favourable of angles.

Brixham steadily regrouped and stretched the hosts as the interval approached with Scott Chislett sin-binned for Lions.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, it might have got better for Bournemouth but Warwick’s driving run was halted by a last-ditch tackle and the score remained 19-3 at the break.

Both teams made a bristling start to the second half but the home side briefly found themselves down to 13 men when Joe Rees was yellow-carded for an alleged stamp on Jonny Brown.

The home crowd cried foul as a series of decisions by referee Carl Bennett went against Lions in the build-up to Joe Lovell’s 51st-minute try for Brixham which was duly converted by Sandercock.

Bennett continued to play the part of pantomime villain by denying Bournemouth a clear run at the line when awarding a knock-on and then chalked off a try by declaring the ball had been held up during a driving maul.

In the end, though, replacement hooker Benham made Bournemouth's pressure count by forcing over Lions’ fourth to secure a bonus point with the impressive Dennett plumping up the cushion.

Dennett’s simple penalty further extended the gap and other than a late effort from Martin Worhtington straight after Bournemouth’s Alex Sutherland had been harshly sin-binned, Brixham looked a spent force.

The victory maintained Lions' slender three-point over the drop zone. 

Lions: Hancox, Sutherland, Higgins, Chislett, Gwyther, Dennett, Hardcastle, Terry, Manning, Firetto (Benham, 51), Warwick (Smith, 63), Scott, Hennings, Smith (Yeats, 61), Rees. Unused replacement: Sanchez.