LED by a rampant pack Salisbury RFC powered their way to glory in the Southern Counties playoff against Aylesbury with a 34-16 win.
On an overcast afternoon, when even the threat of rain failed to put off the party atmosphere, a bumper crowd at Castle Road held its breath as a second half comeback from the North runners-up fell short.
In the end the Green and Whites, inspired by the magnificent Jamie Miller, clinched their 14th and most crucial league victory in a row to ensure an immediate bounce back to the sixth tier of English rugby.
After a remarkable season which has seen Salisbury comfortably outpace many rivals at Castle Road, the home side had to be wary of complacency against a team which had lost in the playoffs last season.
Right from the opening exchanges the Green and Whites looked the more skillful squad, but their territory didn’t show on the scoresheet as in cagey first quarter a solitary Tom Pottage kick separated the sides.
Yet the game roared into life shortly after when an overthrown Aylesbury line-out - which would prove to be the visitors achilles heal all afternoon - was collected by prop Richard West who fed an inside pass to flanker Miller.
The blind-side then did excellently to evade two tacklers and finish a memorable try with the conversion slotted over by the dependable Pottage.
With the referee contributing to a stop-start nature it played into the home sides hands as a menacing pack established control. Despite this the second Salisbury try was through the quick hands of their back-row forwards.
Again it was Miller who broke through the visitors ranks giving a fine offload to fellow flanker Josh Green who was left with a simple scamper to the posts.
Even after two tries a pair of Mike Durose penalties kept Aylesbury just about within touching distance at half time with the score 17-6 at the break.
The Buckinghamshire side came out fighting at the beginning of the second half as an attack from the kick-off immediately paid dividends with points.
A floated long pass from Alex Shearer left the Salisbury defence scrambling as winger Sam Page weaved his way over the line.
Even after Pottage extended the lead with a penalty the game remained in the balance as Aylesbury surged forward with confidence and it required an outstanding try saving tackle from substitute Tom Scott to keep the Green and Whites ahead.
Yet the visitors faded as Salisbury turned the screw and the scrum earned a deserved penalty try before Theo Daniel completed a lovely passing move as time expired to seal promotion.
A jubilant Theo Daniel after scoring Salisbury's fourth try
After the game delighted Salisbury manager Matt Pallas said the result was a testament to the hard work that they had put in over the course of the season.
He said: “It is not just the first team but second team beat Melksham today to win the cup which is great news for the club.”
The win means that Salisbury will be playing next season in South West 1 East.
The team celebrate after the final whistle
Try scorer Miller added: “We knew what they were capable of and we said at halftime they would come out fighting but we kept up the pressure and we were rewarded.
“Next season is going to be a huge challenge but the team knows what to expect and hopefully we can hit the ground running in our first few games.”
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