Sat 16 Dec 2023
Claverdon’s 1st XV travelled away to Southam in their last match of 2023. In the reverse fixture, the Lions came out on top in front of a roaring home crowd, and were looking to emulate that performance at Southam’s ground.
Claverdon started with real intent. A series of carries from the forwards gave George Redwood the opportunity to finish in the corner. Centre, Sam Turrell added the 2-points with a mammoth conversion from the touchline. However, celebrations were cut short after Southam replied quickly with a try of their own. Determined not to be deterred, Claverdon’s Roger Jackson linked up with brother, Will to see the latter dot over the line. Once again, Turrell converted to extend the away side’s lead. After some back and forth, Southam entered the Claverdon half. A clever kick through the defensive line allowed the Southam outside centre to score, closing Claverdon’s lead. Following the Claverdon restart, a penalty allowed the away side to very quickly apply pressure. A well worked move sent George Redwood under the posts for his second of the day, but a rarely seen charge down denied Turrell his easiest kick of the day. Further tries from both Jackson brothers, and Max Plumb on his first team debut saw Claverdon take a commanding lead going into halftime.
With the scoreline reading 19-40 to Claverdon, the second half was the away side’s to lose. The Lions defending bravely for a 15-minute period of relentless Southam pressure. Despite the home crowd spurring the Southam team on, Claverdon escaped without conceding. Great defensive performances from Elliot Saltmarsh and Jack Barwell allowed the Claverdon backline to pick up the ball in broken play, only for Luke Sibley to dot over the line to crush Southam’s hopes of chasing down the Lions’ lead. A late penalty awarded to Southam allowed a consolation 3-point addition to the home side’s score, but was certainly not enough to close the deficit. The final score read 22-48 to Claverdon - a fantastic performance to round off 2023!
Report by Hilton Garner-Jones
