Sat 17 Feb 2024
Claverdon RFC hosted 117 Vice-President members for their bi-annual lunch on Saturday afternoon, while the 1st XV played Walsall II and the 2nd XV welcomed Shipston II in an exhilarating double header.
The 1st XV had narrowly lost to Walsall in the reverse fixture, with a last minute try stealing the win from the travelling Lions side. With the hype and pressure of a heavily attended VPs Lunch, there was a steely determination from the boys to not allow history to re-write itself.
The match started evenly between the two sides. Challenging conditions, compounded by a week of heavy rain meant that running rugby and expansive play would be a tall order. Claverdon conceded first - a penalty in the hosts half allowed the Walsall kicker to take 3 points early on in the game. However, soon after the restart, a break from fly-half, Luke Sibley and subsequent kick through from James Williams, allowed winger, Hilton Garner-Jones to lay chase. Garner-Jones won the footrace and managed to dot the ball over the line before his opposite man, securing the first try of the game to Claverdon. Sam Turrell extended the lead with the conversion, despite the windy conditions.
Walsall responded positively as if provoked by the Claverdon try. A scrum on the Claverdon 5-metre line allowed Walsall to apply pressure eventually resulting in a penalty try. The automatic 7 points meant Walsall crept back into the lead as they approached halftime. Utilising the strong winds, Walsall were granted another penalty right before halftime and extended their lead by 6 points.
The second half was nothing short of a rollercoaster of emotions. Despite the wind being heavily against them, Walsall made good yards up the pitch through Claverdon penalties. A midfield play with Claverdon possession saw the Walsall fly-half intercept the ball and run 50 metres to score under the posts - a cheap 7 points to concede. The Claverdon penalties continued, and soon after the interception try, a further 3 points were added by the Walsall scrum-half, who kicked well throughout the match. Following some back and forth between the two teams, Claverdon realised an overlap on their left side. Centre partnership, Jackson and Turrell linked up well as the former drew in the defence and gave the pass to Turrell who still had some work to do to score the try. The conversion hit the right post, denying what would have been a fantastic kick from Turrell.
With the scores reading 12 - 23 to the visiting side, the next score was crucial if Claverdon were to get anything from this game. Claverdon pitched themselves deep into the Walsall half for several minutes and after relentless attack, back-row, Jordan Edwards picked the ball up from loose play to score. Turrell added 2 points to bring Claverdon within 5 points from a win. With the momentum entirely with the home side, while also being roared on by the 100+ supporters, substitute, Matt White charged a kick down in the Walsall half and scored under the posts. The crowd erupted as the home side took the lead, and extended it with Turrell’s superb kicking. In a tense final 5 minutes, Ali Norman picked the ball up from the back of a Claverdon scrum and charged forwards. Further carries from Charlie Wakelam and Tom Bicknell allowed the home side to make metres up the pitch, but it was prop, Jack Barwell who turned the ball over on the halfway line, which allowed Jackson to kick a penalty towards the Walsall 22-metre line. Walsall regained possession with a scrum after an infringement in the lineout, but scrum-half Michael Jay fancied his chances in turning the ball over too. As the ref indicated the penalty the Claverdon supporters cheered with relief. In true man of the match style, Turrell kicked the penalty to make the final score 29 - 23. A fantastic comeback win for Claverdon on a their VPs Day.
Report by Hilton Garner-Jones
