SOME inside knowledge from Dorset & Wilts fly-half Sam Baker proved pivotal in their 57-45 County Championship opening-day victory over Berkshire.

The Twin Counties blew away the cobwebs in their first run out of this year’s competition, with an eight-try success at North Dorset.

With the strong wind dictating the momentum of the contest, head coach Don Parsons said it had been a big factor.

Parsons said: “You would have to say the wind played its part. So I think we always knew we would be under a bit of pressure.

“We chose to play into the wind in the first half because I was confident with what we had in our attack. We decided as a group that if we won the coin toss then we would play into the wind first.

“I would like to think we got that decision right. Our 10 Sam Baker has played a lot of rugby here and as soon as he saw the wind, he said ‘it is not going to go away’.

“That inside knowledge was definitely vital for us and you have got to use every bit of information you can get.”

The two sides met in the competition last season, with Parsons‘ side coming off second best in a narrow 40-38 defeat.

After winning their other fixtures against Essex and Sussex, the Twin Counties went on to lift the crown.

But Parsons admitted he would try to stop his players getting too carried away this time round.

He added: “We played Berkshire last year and came off the back of a high-scoring game with a defeat so to get the victory and to get that amount of points is fantastic.

“It is an ideal start for us because it is the first game and it is always a tough one and I cannot remember the last time we beat Berkshire.

“So to play a tough team like that first up with a group of players like this is a fantastic achievement so we have just got to try and keep a lid on it now for game two.

“We will definitely be trying to keep our players’ feet on the ground now and try not to get too carried away.”

The Twin Counties on Saturday take on Buckinghamshire at Devizes (2.30pm).