DESIRE and belief were the key factors as Supermarine ended Combe Down’s impressive home record with a 22-10 victory on Saturday.

Stu Dawson, nicknamed ‘Stu the Boot’ kicked 17 points, while Killian Spain scored Marine’s only try in a victory which keeps Marine two points off top spot in Dorset & Wilts 1 North.

Prior to the game the hosts had not lost at home in well over two years, but Marine head coach Sean Millwaters was proud of the players who ended the run in the absence of a number of regular performers.

“It looks as if they haven’t lost at home for well over two years, I found out at the weekend, so for us to go there and do it is a great achievement,” Millwaters said.

“They’ve been promoted in the last two seasons and have obviously been very strong at home, and I have to take my hat off to the team who played.

“We had a serious shortage of players, meaning me and a few second team players had to play, and it was all down to belief and desire because the game was played on a sloped pitch.

“The rain and wind were hitting us but we battled through it and got the win. We had seven first team players missing for various reasons so to get this result despite that is brilliant.”

Millwaters again reserved praise for kicker Dawson, whose 14-point haul in the opening half was a key factor in the victory.

“They didn’t account for Stu because he kicked really well for us to go in at the break 19-0 up,” he said. “They gave some silly penalties away which gave Stu the chance to kick his goals and at 19-0 we knew it was ours to lose.

“We had the domination in the first-half because of the conditions and we knew we had to be the same again in the second, because if we lost we would have slipped away from the top four.

“We held them up over our line three times, although they did score in the first five minutes of the second half, but their kicker missed a few.

“They scored again to make it 19-10 with a few minutes to go but Stu kicked another good penalty into the wind to seal it.”

Marine are in action this Saturday when they take on Blandford in the final of the Dorset & Wilts Vase.