DEPARTING Bournemouth star Michael Pope admitted it was the best feeling in |the world after he grabbed one of the five tries that helped Dorset & Wilts triumph 36-26 at Twickenham yesterday.

The livewire teenage winger jigged his way over with a superb run from the 22-metre line to finish a fantastic Twin Counties three-quarters passing move that epitomised their current open rugby policy.

Pope’s try, Dorset & Wilts’ third during their storming start to the second half, saw them spectacularly overturn a 16-10 half-time deficit that threatened to derail their hopes of lifting the County Championship Shield.

The south coast outfit had |originally led 10-3, but wasted a trio of chances to increase that lead before Leicestershire made them pay by chalking up 13 points unopposed to steal a six-point advantage going into the break.

Lions’ duo Scott Chislett and Jo Burns and Salisbury’s Sean Barwick had touched down before Pope dived over and then Chinnor’s Liam Gilbert grabbed Dorset & Wilts’ fifth try.

Swindon fly-half Adam Westall slotted over four conversions and one penalty as Twin Counties tasted glory in a national competition for the first time since their formation in 1949.

Pope, like Dorset & Wilts’ senior side, was making his first appearance at Twickenham.

And, despite their alarming pre-interval collapse when Leicestershire fly-half Mark Lord ran in their opening try and kicked two penalties and one conversion in a 14-minute purple patch, he looked completely at home playing on the hallowed turf at English rugby’s headquarters, as did all his Twin Counties team-mates.

Looking back on an historic day for Dorset & Wilts rugby, Pope said: “One of my personal goals was to score a try at Twickenham which would, hopefully, lead to my team winning.

“It has and I’m chuffed to bits. It was one of my lifelong dreams to play at Twickenham so I’m really happy.

“Scott put me in with a long pass that reached me and |luckily I was able to finish the move off.

“It was a run from 22 metres to the line and fortunately I got over.

“It was such a great feeling.”

Pope, who is leaving Bournemouth to continue his studies at Exeter University, where he also hopes to link up with Premiership new boys Exeter Chiefs, added: “I was very close to getting a second try as well.

“In the first half I got penalised for not releasing the ball when I was a couple of metres out and failed to get over, so I didn’t want to make that mistake again.

“Luckily, I kept the ball alive, Liam got hold of it and managed to scramble over to put us |further out of range of Leicestershire.”

Pope, who has also helped guide Lions to fifth in National Three South West and lift the Dorset & Wilts Cup this term, continued: “It was a great way to round off the season and it couldn’t really get any better.

“It’s been a long campaign for the Bournemouth boys, but it’s been fantastic lining up alongside Karim (Lynch), Scott, Jo, Frazer (Wilford) and Alan (Manning) in a Twickenham final and winning it.

“Now I’ll be quite happy to chill out in the summer before stepping up my training and hitting the ground running at university.

“It took a while to believe we were actually playing at Twickenham.

“We were at Chapel Gate on Saturday watching the Bournemouth Sevens and people were saying ‘you’re playing at Twickenham tomorrow’, but at that stage it still wasn’t sinking in.

“It wasn’t until I was waiting outside the changing rooms just before we ran on to the pitch that I could pinch myself and believe it was true.

“The buzz playing out there |was overwhelming, thinking about all the top players who have played there, so I’d love to come back and play there again one day.

“I’ve been speaking to Keith Fleming, the director of rugby at Exeter University.

“He’s also development manager with Chiefs so there is a path and I would love to get involved with them.

“Now they are in the Premier-ship they might be recruiting.

“I’ll just try and cement my place in the university side and see if anything happens with Chiefs.”