A BRAVE second-half rally proved not enough for Wimborne as they fell to a 35-22 home defeat to South West One East rivals Royal Wootton Bassett.
Defeat left the Minstermen 10th in the table with five losses from their opening seven games.
The visitors took command from the get-go at Leigh Park, running in two converted tries during the opening 10 minutes.
The only points Wimborne managed to record in the first half came through a penalty awarded in front of the posts, which was sent over by Ryan Morrell.
Wootton Bassett meanwhile pressed home their dominance and scored two more converted tries, giving them a comfortable 28-3 advantage.
The second half was an all-together different affair. Marcus Atkins was at the forefront of the Wimborne fightback, claiming two tries close in.
When Joe Bartlett rounded the visiting defence to score Wimborne’s third try, the hosts were behind by just six points.
But Wootton Bassett managed to steady the ship. After the Minstermen were reduced to 14 men for the second time when Rob Best was sin-binned, the visitors touched down for a fifth time to ensure victory.
Wimborne make the trip to Salisbury on Saturday.
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