THEY were dancing in the streets of both Hampshire and Dorset following this fractious cross-border derby at the Canotec Stadium.

Natives of Verwood will have been singing from the rooftops and partying hard after Adie Arnold’s men had easily accounted for their arch rivals.

In putting the contest to bed by half-time, Verwood capitalised on a first-half display described as “diabolical” by Ringwood joint manager Steve Steele.

And although the hosts may have rallied after the interval, officials at the Hampshire FA will have been laughing all the way to the bank thanks to Ringwood’s indiscipline.

Seven yellow cards, including two for Ryan Osman, ensured any extra gate money taken by Ringwood went up in smoke and straight into the coffers of the county FA.

While referee Darren Howard-Tomes’s performance may have been indecisive and ambivalent, the official was certainly not to blame for Ringwood losing the plot.

“We kept our discipline,” said Potters boss Arnold, tongue firmly in cheek. “We did the business in the first half. The second half was scrappy but we stood firm and didn’t give anything away.”

Although Verwood also had two players booked, their goal tally inside the opening 33 minutes ensured the bragging rights would remain north of the A31 following their 3-0 win over Ringwood at Potterne Park in December.

John Webb’s composed finish after six minutes set the ball rolling, with his spectacular somersault celebration one of the few highlights of a dour contest.

Martin Edwards provided Ringwood with their only champagne moment, his emphatic strike restoring parity soon after Webb had drawn first blood.

There was more than a hint of suspicion of offside when Martin Smith nipped in to make it 2-1 after 26 minutes before Ringwood’s anger turned to incandescence when referee Howard-Tomes turned down their claims for a penalty following a handball by Dean Evans.

Charlie Gajic rubbed salt into their wounds when he profited from a mistake by Ringwood’s partially fit goalkeeper Josh Daley to complete the scoring in the 33rd minute.

“In physical terms, it was the tamest derby I had ever seen,” said Steele.

“I felt the referee was very inconsistent. Verwood were the better team and I hope they go on to win the league.”

Ringwood: Daley, Hardy, Osman, Tyler, Pierson, Morrell, Leadbetter (Elezi, 74), Yeats, Manning (Eley, 80), Edwards, W Hole (Midson, 60).

Potters: Lynch, Evans, Homer (Anderson, 84), Delaney, Kelly, Smith (Wrixton, 61), Gajic, Webb, Haskell, Satterley, Dyer. Unused subs: Wilson, Rose, Rhodes (g/k).