Dings 19 Launceston 30

won the match with a try bonus point looking slicker than Dings with ball in hand, Dings however contributed to their own downfall squandering numerous try scoring chances early in the game and conceding a raft of unforced errors particularly at the lineout where Dings again failed to function..

Dings dominated the opening ten minutes and took the lead with two penalties from standoff Mark Woodrow. The visitors struck back on thirteen minutes with their first visit to Dings half, the pack drove the ball twenty metres to the Dings twenty two then released the backline to move the ball for full back Kieron Lewett to score out wide, Lewett converted for 7-6 to the visitors.

Woodrow restored the lead for Dings on twenty five minutes with a long range penalty and Lewett replied five minutes later for the visitors. Dings should have regained the lead two minutes later when Christian Gervais broke through the centre but Woodrow just failed to hold onto the pass with the line at his mercy. It was the visitors who got the next score on the stroke of halftime, with Dings on the attack five metres from the Launceston try line they were penalised at the lineout for delaying the throw, Launceston kicked the free kick to halfway, won the Dings lineout and moved the ball for centre Lewis Patterson to score in the corner for a halftime lead of 15-9 to the visitors. . .

Woodrow and Lewett exchanged penalties in the first ten minutes of the second half to move the score to 18-12. Dings took the lead on fifty two minutes with a try for Gervais after replacement centre Mitch Burton had charged down a Jake Murphy clearance kick; Woodrow added the conversion for 19-18 to Dings.

The visitors hit back straight from the kick off when Dings failed to gather the ball, from the ensuing maul Dings hooker Dave Wheeler was yellow carded and after a good drive by the pack centre Patterson drove down the blind for his second try. With Dings still a man short wing Richard Bright completed the scoring with a fine burst through the Dings defence to score under the post for an easy conversion for Lewett.

by Rich Grant