The Dorset & Wilts 3 (North) Champions Calne (2XV) Crusaders played their final game of the season at the Recreation ground (Calne) against an improving Sutton Benger 2XV. Benger who had fought their way off the bottom of the table with a string of 5 consecutive wins were hoping to end the hosts impressive run of 11 undefeated league matches and finish on a high.

Calne kicked off and put early pressure on Benger's defensive line but an early mistake gave possession to the visitors who were able to clear effectively. The game continued to be riddled with handling errors which stopped the match from flowing. However, after a kick through from Calne's Tom Porter, the ginger bullet James Morten was able to capitalise on a defensive error to touch down for the first score.

Sutton Benger attacked from the restart determined to level the game, and the visitors didn't have to wait long before another defensive mistake allowed them to crash over to make it 5-5. With two early mistakes costing both teams it looked like a difficult day at the office for the league winners.

However, the Crusaders have proved all season that they have the players to turn around any situation and after some great back play Craig Wood put the champions in front once again. The front row of Pete Brownlie (Loose), Paul Wood (Hooker) and Chris Austin (Tight) started to have their way in the scrums and forward dominance turned the game in Calne's favour.

At the break, Calne captain Chris Austin urged his team to go out on a high and give it everything in the final 40 minutes of the season. From the kick-off, Calne piled on the pressure and with forwards and backs working well together another try was scored by Calne fullback, Craig Wood.

The champions were still making hard work of it and some changes were made to good effect. But not before a resilient Benger, scored another try and converted. Matt Snell came onto the pitch and immediately made an impact as he cut through the Benger defensive and kicked to allow the ever impressive Mike Charlwood to score a try to give Calne breathing space.

With Benger wobbling, another Calne change saw the introduction of Daron Thomas who quickly burst through the visitors to make a lot of ground. The Crusaders started to look more and more like champions as Tom Morten, Anthony Jane and Paul Wood caused havoc in the Benger defence.

The game was finally won when Daron Thomas crashed over for Calne's 5th Try and it was game over for Sutton Benger. Calne were now dominating the play and continued to win good set piece possession. The final score of the game was from Calne's hooker Paul Wood, who has been a steady rock all season for the champions. He crashed over for the final score to end the game and secure a 35-12 home win and end a very successful season for the Calne Crusaders.

Captain, Chris Austin was full of praise for his side and said: It was hard to get the players motivated for this game but we did the job. We would like to give a lot of credit to Sutton Benger 2XV who showed they have made great improvements and I fully expect them to have a good 08/09 season. We can now look forward to playing in Dorset & Wilts 2 (North) and we are looking forward to the challenge. Finally, I would like to thank our 2XV sponsors The Spice Of Bengal for their continued support.