THE shock of the day came at Cuthbury, as title favourites Wimborne Town fell to a surprise 3-2 defeat against Brading Town.

Poor defending and a lack of cutting edge proved a dreadful mixture for Christer Warren's men, as the Isle of Wight outfit shocked the much-fancied Magpies.

It all looked good for Wimborne when James Stokoe put them in front from the penalty spot in the 16th minute.

But generous defensive play from the hosts allowed Brading to turn the match on its head and race into a 3-1 lead.

Player-boss Warren pulled a goal back for Magpies, many people's tip for the Wessex Premier Division crown, but it proved little more than a consolation.

"It wasn't a great start," admitted former Cherries star Warren.

"They didn't have to work hard for their goals - all three were down to bad defending.

"We gifted them three goals and you can't do that."

Warren was pleased with the pressure his side applied after the break, but they could not find a way through Brading's brave backline.

He said: "When teams put 10 men behind the ball you've got to be clever with the ball to break them down. And we weren't good enough in the final third to do that."

New signing Danny Gibbons started ahead of last season's top scorer Scott Joyce, with fellow summer recruits Tom Hall, Sean Smith and Liam Green all making their competitive debuts for the Cuthbury club.

Wimborne Town: Walker-Harris, Phillipson-Masters, Percival, Hall, Arnold, S Smith (P Smith, 63), Green, Warren, James, Gibbons (Joyce, 60), Stokoe. Unused subs: Jones, Whitcher, Lawrence.