SUTTON Benger registered their fifth win of the season in Dorset & Wilts One North on Saturday when beating Minety 18-17.

Minety coach Andy Grayson was handed a selection headache before kick-off.

Without his two wingers, plus the influential pairing of Jack Ward and Matt Roberts, Grayson then lost leading points scorer Garin Garland on the morning of the match.

The game proved untidy and inconsistent in the opening phases, largely due to the persistent rain and soft underfoot conditions.

Nonetheless, Minety’s Sam Hughes opened the scoring with eight minutes played when successfully kicking a penalty from 25 metres.

The hosts hit back just minutes later, though, when Callum Harford struck a penalty from a similar distance to level the scoring.

With pitch conditions deteriorating fast, the game was soon held up in midfield.

Minety’s backs were unable to move the ball effectively and it was down to the experienced Hughes to kick the ball down field to break up play.

The visitors regained the lead with 26 minutes played as Andrew Hibbard benefitted from the visitors’ five-metre scrum to drive over for a converted try – putting Minety 10-3 up.

Benger struck back when registering a try of their own close to the corner flag through Callum Harford, but the game’s key moment came when Minety fly-half Hughes was concussed following a heavy tackle, forcing his withdrawal.

That forced Minety to reorganise at half-time, but it proved not enough as Sutton Benger enjoyed the better of the second half.

Benger took the lead for the first time in the 60th minute when the Jack Horgan touched down close to the corner flag for his second try in as many weeks – helping them establish a 13-10 lead.

With the lead in hand, Benger remained camped in the Minety 22 and although Ollie Maher skewed a drop goal attempt wide of the posts, he soon made up for the miss when touching down after running a sharp line off Rob Waddington.

Despite Andrew Hibberd crossing the whitewash for Minety with the game well inside the 80th minutes, Benger held on to register their fifth win of the season and remain eighth in the table.

Elsewhere, Calne were narrow 17-12 winners at home to Chippenham 2nd, but Pewsey Vale were thumped 84-14 away at Royal Wootton Bassett 2nd.