SALISBURY Rugby Club gave their promotion hopes a massive boost, beating unbeaten table-toppers and long-time rivals Chippenham in the most important game of the season so far.

It was the game that everyone at Salisbury RFC had been waiting for, with players and coaches united in the belief that their old foes were far from invincible.

They were, of course, expecting a tough game, and just how tough they discovered in the 16th minute, when Chippenham's considerably larger pack won their own lineout ball and drove the Salisbury forwards back over their own line to touch down for the first score of the afternoon.

The next points on the board came from Salisbury prop Adam Misselbrook, who charged through the home side's defence, taking no prisoners.

He touched down to equalise and Tom Pottage stepped up to score the conversion and give Salisbury a narrow lead going into the half-time break.

Things were to remain on a knife-edge, as both sides went all-out for a win.

From the restart, Salisbury knew that their best chance of success was to keep the ball away from the Chippenham forwards and give their backs space to perform in open play, a strategy that has been paying dividends as the season has progressed.

Salisbury showed the superiority of their backs when replacement full-back Phil Chesters was fleet of foot to scythe through the opposition defence and touch down for a try.

Once again, Tom Pottage made no mistake with the conversion.

Several further chances went begging when simple handling errors cost Salisbury the chance to complete otherwise promising attacking moves.

But, although Salisbury were enjoying a good share of possession, the hosts remained a constant threat.

Chippenham's continued forward pressure brought results in the closing minutes when they again employed their collective weight to drive over the Salisbury line for a try which completed the 12-14 scoreline.

Salisbury now host Walcot on Saturday, eager to avenge their surprise early season defeat.