RELEGATED Salisbury RFC will be playing for pride in their remaining two matches before they are demoted to Southern Counties.

With just three wins all season, the damage had been done long before they slumped to a 20th league defeat on home turf.

John Kimberley’s Devizes left Castle Road with a 17-30 victory, but they took their time to get going.

After Stewart Davies had opened the score inside nine minutes, the visiting Wiltshire outfit tried to use their weight to grind out a score but Salisbury were sharper on the counter with Phil Carr, James Kaminski and Jon Goldsmith posing a number of problems for the visitors.

Goldsmith, cutting a fine line, received from Kaminski and streaked away from the cover for the second try and then, within three minutes, as Kaminski and Carr linked well and with the defence mesmerised, another perfect angle saw Goldsmith flying for the line again. Andy Herriott succeeded with the second conversion and Salisbury were looking good.

After the break Devizes slowed down the ball at every opportunity, with the referee seemingly oblivious to the bodies lying on the ball.

Jonah Thorpe let his temper get the better of him and he was duly binned. The pressure told as Devizes trundled over a few times and 25 unanswered points snatched what had seemed an unlikely win.

Salisbury Coach Neil Loader said: “I’m bitterly disappointed.”

“Devizes tightened up in the second half and the referee’s interpretation of the law may be different to mine. We struggled with it.”

Salisbury Colts won their final game of the season 19-34 at Bournemouth, while the under 15s clinched the Dorset and Wilts Cup with a 15-10 victory over Wimborne.