HEAD coach Alan Low praised his Royal Wootton Bassett troops for producing the perfect response against Stratford Upon Avon at the weekend as they returned to winning ways in South West One East.

After kicking off the campaign with back-to-back home wins, Bassett then suffered a first defeat of the season on the road at Salisbury.

However, they found their best form again upon their return to Ballards Ash and stormed to a 35-3 success over Stratford.

Coach Low said: “We spoke about our attitude going into games and having the right approach, and it was certainly a good turnaround from the previous game.

“It was tough conditions at the weekend and we had a lot of guys missing, but we showed we have got really good depth within the squad.”

Stratford broke the deadlock with a penalty but after that, it was all one-way traffic as Chris Rowland got the first of five Bassett tries, with Tom Fieldsend adding the extras to give the hosts a 7-3 lead at the break.

Bassett upped the tempo after the restart and a penalty try, coupled with a Stratford yellow card, got the ball rolling in the second half.

Chris Patterson, Neil Smith and Scott Douglas then all got themselves over the whitewash as Bassett capped a dominant second-half display, with Fieldsend converting each time.

Although it was a third bonus-point win from four games this season, Low was particularly pleased with his side’s defensive effort to only concede three points.

“Character-wise, our defence was superb – certainly in the second half,” said Low.

“We were under a bit of pressure early on in with the wind in our faces, so the lads were up against it in the first half. Stratford came out quite strongly and we defended OK.

“At half-time, the guys made a point of not wanting to let Stratford through again and we defended brilliantly in the second half. It was a really good effort and I am proud of them.”

The three home wins this term have come by a combined margin of 98 points and Low wants Bassett to become a place to be feared.

“We have been trying to make Ballards Ash a tough place to come ever since we moved there,” said Low.

“The guys are getting more comfortable there and are really beginning to understand the conditions and the best areas to play.

“It has been a really young squad over the years and we are starting to see a little bit of maturity coming through in the regular players who have been with us since the age of 17 or 18.

“There is a lot to come from them over the next few years too, so we want to keep that going.”

Elsewhere, Swindon remain pointless at the bottom of the table following a 51-0 loss on the road at Oxford Harlequins.

Supermarine saw their Dorset & Wilts Senior Vase campaign come to an end after handing Swanage & Wareham a home walkover, while Swindon College Old Boys were without a game at the weekend.