INJURY-HIT Minety 2nd XV lost their Dorset & Wilts Division Three North match at Swindon 3rd.

The home team won the toss and chose to play with a stiff wind at their backs but the heavy conditions under foot and a slippery ball made handling difficult.

Time and time again, Minety moves floundered in midfield and scrum ball was untidy and rushed.

The heavier Swindon side adapted better and kept the ball close to rucks and scored their first try in the 13th minute.

Swindon’s second try came in the 26th minute, again based upon successful rucking and a third try was scored before half time.

The second half started more brightly with the visitors making good use of the strong and gusting wind but it took until the 58th minute, and a move of rare individual class, for them to score.

Substitute Del Murray collected the ball in his own half, chipped his opposition winger and won a dramatic race to touch down in the corner.

Any hopes that the fightback could continue were dashed in the 64th minute when the Minety defence, now carrying a number of injuries, were unable to defend their line as Swindon scored a fourth try.

In the final minute a breakout from deep in their own 22 saw Minety attack down the left wing before David Cooke ran in to score under the posts from 30 metres. Ash Windle added the conversion.

Minety skipper Ben Scott said: “We let the first half get away from us and lacked structure in our play. We were missing six or seven players and then suffered a whole raft of injuries on the pitch and just couldn’t get our game together.”