Wiveliscombe 15 pts Gordano 26 pts - GORDANO'S ninth league win on the bounce, aided by defeat for Nailea and Backwell at Imperial, confirmed the Sharks will finish third in Somerset League 1 at the end of the season.

Wiveliscombe 15 ptsGordano 26 ptsGORDANO'S ninth league win on the bounce, aided by defeat for Nailea and Backwell at Imperial, confirmed the Sharks will finish third in Somerset League 1 at the end of the season. It will be some months, however, before the RFU decides whether restructuring of the leagues will offer up a third promotion place. Arriving late, already disrupted by injury and non-availability, particularly behind the scrum, Gordano made little impression in the opening 10 minutes. Against the run of play they broke out and capitalised on a break by Aaron French to create a close-range try for Gerry Creber on 12 minutes, Ed Whittaker adding the conversion. With the benefit of a strong breeze, French's kicking repeatedly sent Wivey back down the slope and he was next to score, touching down unopposed after his pack shoved their opponents off a five-metre scrum in the 23rd minute.On the half hour, Matt Rollings added a third from a tapped penalty as the home team began to fall off tackles in the face of Gordano's direct running. Whittaker's conversion took the lead to 19-nil and he was soon left with an even easier conversion as Wiveliscombe conceded a penalty try from a five-metre scrum.Unfortunately, Gordano were just as prone to conceding penalties and lost Creber to the sinbin for repeated team infringements just before the break. Down to 14 men and confronted with the same steep slope and strong wind, their lack of control in and around the breakdown began to undermine their efforts in scrum and line-out. With flanker Ben Harvey been forced to start the game at centre, the home back row came to the fore and forced a try in the corner soon after the restart. The visitors mounted one or two attacks up the hill, but just as quickly found themselves back on their own line and a loose kick presented Wivey with another unconverted try on 70 minutes.After French left the field with a knee injury, leaving Harvey to fill in at fly-half, Gordano held out until injury time when the home team scored in the right corner despite a brave tackle by Nick Stratton.