PLAY-OFF chasing Bournemouth showed no mercy to a severely depleted Weston team as they scored 10 tries at Chapelgate.

BOURNEMOUTH 70 pts

WESTON 24 pts

PLAY-OFF chasing Bournemouth showed no mercy to a severely depleted Weston team as they scored 10 tries at Chapelgate.

The visitors were forced into no fewer than eight late changes, but other results were in their favour as they maintained their ninth position in National 3 South West.

Bournemouth had scored their opening brace of tries by wing Sam Yarwood by the sixth minute and by the interval they were 30-3 to the good with tries by Ben Stewart and Sam Hardcastle, fly-half Dan Pollard adding two conversions and two penalties.

James Mackay’s 22nd minute penalty was Weston’s sole reply, but they started the second half in positive fashion with breaks by centres Jon Gallagher and Dewey Swartbooi and wing Paul Sprague.

Then a counter attack by full-back Kirk Middlemiss created a penalty which Jack Conway took quickly to stroll over. Mackay converted but Bournemouth responded straight away with scrum-half Hardcastle’s second try which Pollard converted.

However, Weston were still improving when George Wright instigated a move running left, and after good handling by Middlemiss and Sprague, the winger finished the move on the right.

Mackay converted again but Weston’s poor defending and loose passing were to be punished before the end.

Lock Tomas Ford’s try and Yardwood’s completion of his hat-trick had arrived by the 61st minute, and before the final whistle, Yarwood, Dan Connoly and Robert Bruce had all crossed, Pollard adding his seventh conversion.

But in between, replacement wing Matthew Burn ran in a good try for Mackay to convert.

Weston: K Middlemiss, G Wright (M Burns 62), D Swartbooi, J Gallagher, P Sprague, J Mackay, J Conway, L Grimes (J Whatley h/t), C Withers, S Donegan, S Eaton, A Russell, J Rudkin, R Bignell (E Barker h/t), G Sparks (c).

This was a disappointing day for the Weston club. Not only were the late withdrawals the major cause of this heavy reverse, but the United team was also affected, virtually erasing any chance of promotion with defeat at Old Sulians.

YET another of Weston’s former juniors has made his senior debut.

In the match at Bournemouth, 18-year-old prop Jake Whatley was introduced at the interval.

Whatley, who is the son of former wing Paul, was educated at Wyvern School, and started his club career in the Seasiders’ Under-9 team.

He is currently at the University of Gloucester studying for a degree in sports science.

THIS Saturday, prior to their home match against Redingensians, Weston will be holding a lunch to remember two special occasions.

They will be celebrating the 30th anniversary of their two-week tour to Canada together with their match at Brixham in April 1990. Victory at Astley Park by 29-15 on that day gave the Seasiders promotion to the National League.

The club will be hoping to attract more than 50 former players to the event including most of those who took part in the ‘promotion’ match.

The Weston team on that day was: Matthew Bamsey, Chris Brown, James Robinson, Gareth Williams, Chris Heath, Mike Mousdale, Melvin Badger, Andrew Mellish, Ian Mitchell, Andrew Croker, Andrew Fisher, Peter Sloman, Tim Whittle (c), Barry Sparks, Paul Redman.

Their four tries were scored by Brown (2), Williams and Mousdale with Badger adding two conversions and three penalties.