GRANT Hancox fired his way to become Bournemouth’s all-time top league points scorer in the 54-10 victory against Newton Abbot – and admitted he had been spurred on by his team-mate whose record he surpassed.

The marksman needed 14 points to break veteran scrum-half Sam Hardcastle’s total in their final South West Premier away trip of the season.

He obliged in style by landing seven conversions to go with Lions’ eight tries as the Chapel Gate outfit sealed a season double over Abbot.

Hancox, who has racked up 1,069 points in 115 matches, said: “Sam Hardcastle sent a nice message to the players’ WhatsApp group during the week saying he did not want me to score too many today.

“But the club president Doug Warren informed me before the game it was just 13 points to match the record and 14 to surpass it.

“So I came off the field with 14 points and it is a massive achievement considering I have only been at the club for about three-and-a-half or four years.”

Lions flew out the blocks with two tries in the opening 11 minutes.

Scott Chislett went under the posts after six minutes and Hancox landed his first points by improving it before Freddie Gleadowe broke from Lions’ 22 five minutes later for a try.

Gleadowe then sent supporting wing Dan Stewart over, with Hancox adding the extras.

The relegated hosts showed fight when lock Rory Blackmore crashed over on 15 minutes from a ruck, but fly-half Jake Monnington missed the conversion.

Wing Adam Higgins got the first of his three tries after firing up the sideline to finish in the corner after 21 minutes. Hancox crept closer to the record with his third conversion.

Abbot wing Max Snowden then spent 10 minutes in the bin for a high tackle on Gleadowe, with Hancox firing the penalty into the corner. In first-half added time – and now restored to a full compliment – Abbot scrum-half Lewis Vicary took a quick-tap penalty and darted over.

Monnington again could not improve to leave Bournemouth with a 21-10 half-time lead, before Higgins bagged his second five minutes after the break.

The ball bobbled around inside the Abbot 22, before Gleadowe picked up and sent the wing over for the bonus point.

Another Abbot high tackle on 52 minutes allowed Hancox to find the corner before a ruck was set up from the lineout.

Versatile hooker Alan Manning pirouetted around defenders to score, with Hancox registering two more for a 35-10 lead.

Manning’s front-row colleague Luca Firetto spun out of three tackles for his third try of the season and Hancox was again on point for 42-10.

Higgins registered his second hat-trick of the season after Lions went from one side of the field to the other, leaving Hancox to slot the conversion between the posts to break Hardcastle’s tally.

With five minutes left, the pack cruised over the whitewash with Firetto getting his second score.