A game of two halves as Clevedon triumph in local derby

A cold, bright and blustery morning greeted the squad as they returned to the Vale for the first time since November 2nd. Despite the winter weather, another good turnout from the lads saw 22 assemble for the clash with local rivals Gordano who weren't as fortunate in terms of numbers leading to the coaches agreeing on a 14 versus 14 clash.

The first half saw Clevedon play with the wind at their backs on a heavy pitch and, noting that it was a days for basics, that was exactly what they did and very well at that. The eight man pack of Harry, Max, Sunny, Phil, Aran, Lewis, Rory and Dane secured possession time and again to provide the required platform for the six man back line to run the ball with the two wide men (Jamie and Mackenzie) seeing a lot of the ball and creating problems for the visitors every time that they did.

After five minutes Mackenzie sprinted over for a fine try in the far corner. This was quickly followed by a brace from Dane, the latter after a great passing move across the backs to warm the hearts of the coaching staff and spectators on the side lines, with both converted to give the young Seasiders a healthy 19-0 lead after just 15 minutes.

Another try in the corner from Mackenzie, excellently converted by Ethan, gave the boys a 26-0 lead at half time but it could have been more - referee McGuigan ruling out a try from Ethan for failure to ground the ball properly; Jamie bursting past the defence with a tremendous turn of speed before continuing over the dead ball line without grounding the ball and Harry Lyon weaving his way past numerous defenders on a lengthy and mesmeric run only to unfortunately spill the ball when trying to ground it.

Half time rightly saw the introduction of the shivering subs into the fray with seven changes being made. The new arrivals made their presence felt including some strong work in the engine room from Adam and Pat and the usual powerful tackling from Luke Palmer in the last line of defence. But the combination of the changes, a run of niggling injuries and a really spirited response from Gordano saw the visitors increasingly claw their way back into the game and two excellent tries from them within two minutes saw Clevedon's lead substantially reduced to just 14 points with 15 minutes left to play.

Gordano continued to threaten and scored again with three minutes to go but it was the home side who had the last word after excellent driving work from the forwards was finished off by Luke McLaughlin scampering over in the far corner for a final score of Clevedon 31 Gordano 17.

A game of two halves; the boys outstanding in the first 25 minutes but a much scrappier display in the second half with the visitors showing admirable spirit and tenacity to make a real game of it.