TROWBRIDGE kept their hopes of promotion from Southern Counties South alive going into the final weekend of the season with a 38-21 win over Combe Down.

The visitors headed to Wiltshire knowing that a win was required to keep their own Southern Counties status and caused Dan Jeffries' hosts a scare before the home side dug deep to come out with the win.

Combe Down took the lead before Justin Reed responded by going over the whitewash, converted by Tom Weaver.

Jay Patterson, converted by Weaver, scored again for the hosts before Barry Coombs stretched Trowbridge’s advantage.

Down responded before the break but in the second half, Trowbridge put the game beyond reach as Matt Howard, Lee Fairclough and Sam Edwards all scored, with the visitors scoring a late consolation to make the scoreboard look more respectable.

“It was a good performance in the end,” said Jeffries.

“They arrived knowing they had to win to stand a chance of staying up and started at a high intensity and scored the first try, completely off our mistake.

“It put us in a bit of a situation but we were able to recover and came back quite well.

“As has been the case for most of the season, our front five were outstanding and dominated the game and then our backs showed, when they get good ball, they can score tries.

“Other than being a little bit soft at the beginning and the end, we dominated the game really well.

“They were a tidy side but we are now getting a bit more of a competitive edge to us.”

With Sherborne this week being deducted a point for an administration error from earlier in the season that had given them a point too many, Jeffries side head into the final game of the season, a week on Saturday, against local rivals Devizes with a play-off chance a strong possibility.

“It now means that if we can get the job done on the last day of the season and Swans get anything less than five points, we’d be in the play-offs.

“Sherborne and Swans have a lower points difference so it is going to be a big weekend.”