ROB ELFORD admitted he was flummoxed why Marlow always gave Swanage and Wareham major problems after his side's narrow 10-8 home victory.

Swans' captain, and the rest of his team-mates, breathed a huge sigh of relief after they had grabbed a nail-biting triumph against their bottom-of-the-table visitors in South West Division Two East.

Marlow had beaten the Bestwall boys 26-18 at home on October 27 - Swans' only league defeat of the season so far.

That is one of just two victories in 14 games for the Buckinghamshire outfit, whose only other win was 31-5 against fellow strugglers Tadley.

Victory, by however small the margin, kept Swans in second place with their play-off destiny still in their own hands.

Elford, who saw Gavin Steeden and Charlie Parish score his side's tries, said: "We were disappointed with our performance.

"Ideally we would have liked to have turned in a better display and won a bit more comfortably."

Elford, whose side conceded a Brett Mulligan try and Steve Bincott penalty, added: "I don't know what the problem is really with us and Marlow.

"Every time we come up against them we have a close game. Even when they are bottom of the league, it doesn't change.

"We actually spent the whole first half camped in their half. The disappointment was that we are just not converting our possession and territorial advantage into points.

"It is not a big problem but a few wrong decisions were made at key moments, including by me, and at the end of the day we didn't convert our superiority into points.

"If you don't take your chances it can come back and haunt you and they scored from a charge down with 10 minutes to go.

"Marlow got a surge of energy and we had to finish the game with only 14 men after fly half James Harris went off with an injured knee after we had already used our three substitutes.

"To not play to our full potential and still get a win is satisfying, but it was too close for comfort."

Swanage and Wareham: D Elford, S Andrews, P Graves, Grove, Parish, Harris, Beaves, O Andrews, R Elford, Jones (Sheldrake 47), Burgess, Penney, Warren, Steeden (M Elford 47), R Harwood.