UNDERSTRENGTH Warminster slipped to a heavy defeat in their Dorset & Wilts One South opener on the south coast.

A curtailed warm-up, following the late arrival of skipper John McCredie and others, took its toll as the visitors shipped quick tries and struggled at the set-piece.

Despite the efforts of emergency centre Reid Curtis, Warminster came up against a mean defence and suffered again when flanker Matt Bone was harshly sin-binned after an offside offence.

Trailing 36-0 at the break, two further tries at the start of the second half heaped more pain on the travelling side, but they refused to roll over and got on the scoresheet themselves as number eight Dean Priestman crashed over under the posts.

The amber and blues scored a second try from a driving maul as substitute Andy Wood emerged with the ball and Lewis Noble kicked the conversion.

Despite losing flanker James Rowbotham to a yellow card for over-zealous use of the boot, Warminster scored again in the final minute as tighthead prop Steve Rowbotham dotted down after good work by Priestman and Bone, Noble adding a second conversion.