DAVID Elford’s dramatic penalty earned Swanage & Wareham a last-gasp 18-17 victory at Trowbridge which kept the pressure on Southern Counties South pacesetters Wimborne.

Robert Elford’s try, converted by Phil Graves, gave Swans a 28th-minute advantage, only for Trowbridge to respond through a penalty and Lewis Jordan’s touch down for a 10-7 half-time lead.

Swans flew from the traps after the break, pinning back their hosts and eventually going over through flanker Matt Roberts on 48 minutes. Soon after, David Elford – kicking in place of the stricken Graves – converted a penalty to stretch their lead to 15-10.

But Trowbridge, as befitting a side that had won both its games prior to Saturday’s contest, came back fighting. Swans held firm in the face of incessant home pressure until their defences were breached with 11 minutes to play.

That try was converted, leaving the Swans needing to surmount a two-point deficit in a grandstand finale. And it would be David Elford, with only three minutes left, who provided the crucial intervention to send his unbeaten team second in the table.

Swans: Barton, Adkins, Romanillos, D Elford, Young, Graves (Warren, 40) Tomes, Sheldrake, R Elford, Wyburgh (Audley, 52), Collins, Penney, Roberts, Jones, Desmond, Ford.