MERLEY COBHAM SPORTS 8

DORCHESTER SPORTS 2

DORCHESTER Sports endured an 8-2 mauling at the hands of free-scoring Merley Cobham Sports in the Dorset Premier League.

Merley have now scored 96 goals in 21 games and inflicted the heaviest away defeat on Ashley James’ men since the county town side joined the division.

With Sports’ previous two trips to Merley resulting in 7-1 and 5-1 losses, a good start was always going to be necessary.

However, Merley’s prowess at corners shone through in the first half and the Bournemouth-based outfit took the lead on 12 minutes when captain Ellis George headed home Matt Groves’ delivery.

Dorchester plugged away and took a deserved equaliser when Paul Hill cut in from the left and unleashed a brilliant curling effort into the top corner.

James’ troops were now firmly on top but Jamie Rawlings spurned a golden chance when electing to square rather than shoot having rounded the goalkeeper.

Against the run of play, Merley’s Daniel Edwards pounced on a loose ball to fire past Josh Lucas in the 41st minute.

Sports continued to play out from the back but scrappily lost possession, allowing Merley to break as Josh Buck scored for a 3-1 half-time lead.

After the resumption, Brandon Randall claimed Merley’s fourth before turning provider for Groves in the 59th minute as the floodgates opened.

However, a rare foray upfield saw the away side counter on Merley as Jamie Quinton reduced the deficit to three goals.

The hosts were then awarded a controversial penalty, only to see Lucas save from Groves, but the tide of goals was not stemmed for long.

Buck grabbed his second and Merley’s sixth on 78 minutes with a jinking individual effort, before Lee Wilkins forced Lucas into an error enabling Groves to lash in his second a minute later.

Former Dorchester Town and Weymouth striker Groves then completed his hat-trick on 82 minutes, taking his tally to 27 for the season.

Lewis Amor and Jason Read were both sin-binned for dissent to compound a miserable afternoon for the visitors.

Speaking to Echosport, James said: “It’s hard to take. Forty minutes into the game we were the better team. They were strong from set-pieces but up to the 40th minute we were by far the better side.

“Two sloppy mistakes just before half-time somehow meant we went in 3-1 down at half-time.

“We never really recovered from that and second half they came out a completely different side and dominated us. We had no answer to them. Really, we should’ve been ahead at half-time.”

Dorchester Sports: Lucas, A Gould (Turland 75), W Gould (A Steele 60), Read, B Thomas, Samways (Gatehouse 80), Will, Amor, Hill, Rawlings, Quinton

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