DORKING had to come from behind to keep their promotion push on track as they narrowly beat Westcombe Park in blustery conditions to cement their position at the top of the National League Three London table.
Combe led 8-6 at the break, with Dorking's Steve Munford hitting a pair of easy penalties before a well-worked try by Westcombe's Tyron Childs, which was unconverted, and a late penalty saw the hosts go into the break ahead.
A wonderful solo effort by Dorking outside centre Ryan Jeffery and two well-hit penalties from Munford sealed the win for Dorking late in the second half.
Westcombe Park dominated the early possession and territory, giving hope to the travelling Bishop's Stortford fans, with scrum-half Charlie Edwards probing around the rucks and the backs looking dangerous.
The game was played at a frightening tempo with a number of crunching hits and the Combe props Dale Bellinger and Nick Porter were devastating on a number of runs in open field.
Dorking showed why they are battling for promotion though, as they managed to soak up the pressure and use the scrum as a solid basis for attacking moves throughout the game.
Both teams wanted to play running rugby, despite the conditions, and the strong Combe backline united well towards the end of the first half to put centre Tyron Child through for a score in the corner.
The second half was a tense affair with both teams trading penalties before the Dorking pack secured another scrum against the head before feeding the ball to Jeffery.
The Leeds University student collected the ball outside the opposition 22 and, with little support, he managed to spin and fend his way past four attempted tackles, before bustling over in the corner for a vital five points.
As conditions got worse Dorking's scrum-half Munford showed composure to knock over two difficult penalties to give Dorking a memorable win.
And with only three games left to play, they are now in the box seat for the title, two points clear of Stortford in second.
Next up for Dorking is a clash with bottom side Staines at the Big Field, before testing trips to face Tring and CS Rugby 1863 to finish off the National League Three London campaign.
Dorking: Cooper, Hunt, Jeffery, McDonald, Phillips, Pimlow, Munford, Vermont, Grimstone, Watts, Roux, Higgins, Olyanju, Catton, Knight, Evans, Smith, Kemp.
