Terras win another Ridgeway derby to retain Senior Cup
Summary:
Weymouth beat Dorchester in their own back yard for the second time this season to clinch the Dorset Senior Cup for the 33rd time. A great strike from Tom Bearwish put the Terras ahead early in the game, while Keiran Douglas headed in from a corner to seal the victory with 12 minutes remaining.
Match Report:
Wins over Bridport, Wimborne and Sherborne had brought the Terras to the Dorset Senior Cup Final and a chance to retain the trophy they won last year with victory over Hamworthy Recreation. Nevertheless, manager Jamie Wells has made it clear that the league is his main priority, and he took the opportunity to rest several players while giving valuable minutes to young squad players and those building back fitness after injury.
Just three players remained in the starting XI from Saturday’s win at Tiverton (Bearwish, Burrows and Carson) who were joined by the five players from Saturday’s bench (Douglas, Genesini, Hanger, Neale and Pollock), along with Moss and Stavrianos, while Harry Dillon started in goal as he had done in the semi-final. Betts, Swann and Goodship provided senior options on the bench along with a couple of players from the Under-18s who had featured in earlier rounds of the competition – Jack Male and Freddie Schack-West.
Weymouth nearly took the lead after 11 minutes when a deep cross from Hanger caught the Dorchester keeper off guard. Phillips was only able to drop the ball at the feet of Burrows, but he then reacted well to save the follow-up. However, the Terras did take the lead 6 minutes later – Genesini switched play in midfield with a searching diagonal ball to find Bearwish on the left edge of the penalty area. The Weymouth captain controlled the ball deftly and unleashed a curling effort into the top right corner.
Spetch came close to equalising for Dorchester 3 minutes later, but his header from a corner went just over the bar. The two teams exchanged half-chances for the remainder of the first half, though Dillon was never required to make a save, and the Terras went into the break having done enough to deserve their one-goal lead.
Weymouth started on the front foot in the second half, as the rain came pouring down, but Dorchester slowly started to get a foothold and create some chances. Koita managed their first shot on target after 57 minutes, but his low strike was easily held by Dillon. Their best chance came 7 minutes later when Robinson was sent through on goal, but Dillon rushed out to close him down and preserve Weymouth’s lead.
Tor Swann had the ball in the net after 74 minutes, but the linesman’s flag went up for offside, and 3 minutes later he was on target once more but this time he was denied by a great save from Phillips. However, the Terras finally doubled their lead from the resulting corner, with Douglas rising to head home Carson’s pin-point delivery.
That seemed to take the wind out of Dorchester’s sails, and Weymouth were able to see out the last 12 minutes of the game relatively comfortably to secure the Trophy (and local bragging rights) once again.
Reaction:
This win brought some light relief from the Terras’ league campaign, picking up the Dorset Senior Cup for the 33rd time, including 6 times in the last 11 years. But they now have two massive games coming up against relegation rivals – hosting Hungerford at the Bob Lucas Stadium on Saturday before travelling to Yate the following weekend – which will go a long way to defining their season.
Lineups:
Terras: Dillon; Hanger (Betts, 67), Douglas, Pollock, Carson; Genesini, Neale; Stavrianos (Swann, 53), Bearwish (Male, 93), Moss; Burrows (Goodship, 46)
Subs not used: Schack-West
Goals: Bearwish (17), Douglas (78)
Magpies: Phillips; Stanley (Redknapp, 82), Spetch, Williams, Wright, Chubinidze, Whitfield (Voss, 82), Crosbie (Bowmaster, 82), Robinson (Coat, 73), Koita, Pardoe (Whitehead, 73)
Subs not used: none
Attendance: 1,139
Media:
Scroll through the match photos here: 10-Mar-2026 Dorchester Town vs Weymouth | Flickr
And watch some highlights from neutral visitors here: Watching a DERBY in the DORSET SENIOR CUP FINAL!
Match Report by Ian Middlebrook
