Sat 28 Feb 2026
Claverdon hosted Coventry Welsh on Saturday afternoon, while 85 old boys sat down for lunch and cheered the boys on during the game.
The match started with Claverdon asserting early dominance. A scrum in the middle of the pitch gave captain, Hilton Garner-Jones the opportunity to outpace his opposite man and take the first try of the day. Almost immediately after the restart, fullback, Calvin Lynch took a failed clearance kick from Coventry Welsh, gathered it, and ran in a superb try in front of the home crowd. Stan Lawrence added his name to the list of try scorers soon after, with an aggressive carry from a spilled lineout. The first 20 minutes suggested this could be a long day for the travelling Coventry side. However, Coventry Welsh settled into the game and held their own in the end of the first half. The halftime team talks would have been very different as the scoreline read 17-0 to Claverdon.
The second half was much different to the first. While Claverdon started strong again with an excellent display of speed from winger, George Evans, Coventry found some momentum and challenged back. Two tries in relatively quick succession from the away side suddenly applied some pressure to the Lions. With the scoreline reading 24-14, the home side knew the next try was crucial. With a solid contest between the two teams, the atmosphere was tense. A sudden line break from Josh Smallwood created the chaos that the Lions needed. A failed offload saw the ball go to ground, but was gathered by Michael Jay, only to then go and run it in for Claverdon’s 4th try of the day, securing the win and the bonus point.
The 85 old boys were delighted, as were the players, who now focus their attention on top of the league, Barkers Butts, away on Saturday.
Report by Hilton Garner-Jones
