Claverdon suffer second half woes
IN the first fixture of the year, Claverdon hosted title contenders, Veseyans, on Saturday afternoon on a pitch deemed playable in spite of the heavy rain during the week, reports Hilton Garner-Jones.
Veseyans started with signs of real intent. An early penalty resulted in a kick to the corner which allowed the Sutton Coldfield side to maul their way over the line to take the lead. They then followed this effort up with a string of powerful runs and clever offloads to score yet again taking the score to 12-0 after ten minutes.
Claverdon, determined not to let their heads drop so early in the match, bounced back well. A line break from centre Sam Turrell saw the Lions stride 40 metres up the pitch only for a last ditch tackle to be made. Tenacious running from backrower Charlie Wakelam allowed Turrell to pop the ball up to the supporting player, who dotted over the line to score. Turrell then converted to bring the deficit to just five points.
The following ten minutes saw possession shared between both teams in what were boggy conditions. Seemingly out of nowhere, a Claverdon attack saw the ball make its way out wide, with Ali Norman and Calvin Lynch linking up to put winger Hilton Garner-Jones in for his tenth try of the season with the conversion from Turrell handing the hosts the lead.
Veseyans appeared to be rattled by the momentum the home side were carrying. Some tactics were employed which questioned the spirit of the game and they were ultimately picked up by the referee who awarded Claverdon a penalty. Turrell duly obliged and extended his 100 per cent kicking record to gain the three points.
But it was Veseyans who had the final say of the half when a breakaway led to their winger dotting down and the subsequent conversion edged them two points ahead of Claverdon at half-time.
The second half had all the prospects to be as contentious and thrilling as the first but, depending on your allegiance, it was only enjoyable for one team with the visitors showing just why they were the title challengers coming into the fixture.
Determined not to drop points in their campaign, Veseyans added three more tries while keeping their opponents out to ensure it was a true match of two halves which left Claverdon well beaten at 36-17 in the end.
Claverdon now look ahead to their next fixture on Saturday when they head to Counties Two Midlands West (East) leaders Barkers Butts.
Southam lost 52-7 at Coventrians and host Old Wheatleyans this weekend.
