The hosts survived two second-half sin-binnings and a late Avonmouth onslaught to make it back-to-back league wins and move further away from the bottom three in South West One West.

Harley Foley crossed for Clevedon’s only try, with Will Carpenter adding the conversion, while Mike Taylor kicked three long-range penalties.

The Clevedon forwards were at their outstanding best throughout, with openside flanker Owen Biggins pushed hard by Harley Foley and Joe Williams for the man of the match accolade.

Playing with a strong, wintry breeze at their backs in the first-half, Clevedon started well and a powerful run from Aaron Rice earned his side a penalty, which Taylor duly knocked over from all over 45 metres.

Joe Wearne replied in turn for Avonmouth, before some strong work at the breakdown from the Clevedon pack afforded Taylor another shot at goal – and the centre obliged from 40 metres out to restore the home side’s lead.

A sweeping handling move then saw Clevedon make their way into the Avonmouth 22, with Mike Lowis eventually hauled down just short.

Carpenter rattled the post with a penalty, before Oscar James was adjudged to have been held up as he dived in at the left-hand corner.

But Clevedon were soon rewarded for their first-half dominance with a try on the half hour mark.

Breaking from just inside their own half, Taylor and Thie combined to bring play into the Avonmouth 22 – and from the next phase, Brian Largenton’s neat offload found Owen Biggins, who in turn found Foley, to applying the finishing touches to a well-worked Clevedon move.

Carpenter added the extras to extend the lead to 13-3 at half-time.

Early in the second-half, Clevedon thought they had added a second try, as Oscar James scampered over in the left-hand corner, but the referee called play back for an obstruction in the build up.

The rest of the half saw Avonmouth firmly in charge and only the hardy Clevedon defence keeping their line intact, with a mammoth effort on an increasingly heavy pitch.

Taylor’s third penalty of the afternoon just had the legs against the stiff Coleridge Vale breeze to give Clevedon a 16-3 advantage – but they were soon reduced to 14 men, with captain Dave Rawle sent to the sin-bin for a maul infringement.

Number eight Andy Davis followed his skipper to the naughty step minutes later, to leave Clevedon down to 13 men and with their backs firmly to the wall.

But the hosts rallied and a combination of heroic tackling and scramble defence kept Avonmouth at bay.

The numerical advantage eventually told when the Avonmouth pack drove their way over from close range – and Wearne’s conversion set up a tense finale.

With three minutes left to play, visiting fly-half Joe Wearne’s pin-point cross-field kick found Billy Reynolds in wide open space, but the winger was unable to keep his footing and was pulled up inches short.

A long clearance from Taylor took play into the Avonmouth half and when Oscar James scooped up a loose ball, his thumping kick into touch signaled the end of a fiery and hard-fought local derby.

Clevedon travel to Teignmouth on Saturday.