Claverdon RFC

Claverdon RFC travelled away to longstanding rivals, Harbury on Saturday afternoon in their penultimate fixture of the season. When the two last met, Harbury got the better of the Lions, but bragging rights were now up for grabs again. 

The match started with strong displays from both sides. An early try from Claverdon’s Dan Hadley, who broke the line in the opposition 22, was cancelled out very quickly through the Harbury winger. However, the mix of mobility and power in the Claverdon pack showed once again, as Max Plumb shrugged off a defender and darted over the line to put Claverdon in the lead. A series of Claverdon penalties allowed Harbury back into the game, and then take the lead for the first time in the match. The halftime score read 22-15. 

The second half saw Claverdon clawing back at Harbury. The dry conditions allowed the ball to find its way wide to the likes of Josh Evans and George Redwood - both of whom made yards each time of asking. However, it was James Williams who darted over the line to bring Claverdon back level. Soon after levelling the scores, the match was halted and moved to another pitch due to Claverdon’s Rory Spencer needing assessment for a potential neck injury. Thankfully, Rory’s trip to A&E returned no serious damages. 

With the scoreline reading 22-22 on a much smaller pitch, Harbury took the lead through a penalty deep in the Claverdon half. With very little time left, pressure was mounting for the Lions. 

In the final 5 minutes of the match, Claverdon fought back hard, knowing a try was required if they were to win. A series of forwards carries allowed the Lions to gradually make their way towards the Harbury line. The solid defence from Harbury kept Claverdon at bay until James Williams broke the line. Hunted down by the scrambling defence, Williams offloaded to James Gibney who scored emphatically with a try celebration similar to that of Chris Ashton. Luke Sibley converted and the game felt like it was all over. With Harbury’s heads dropped, Claverdon struck again in quick succession through a penalty try. Gabe Ball, brought down with a dangerously high tackle under the posts forced the referee to send the offending winger into the sin bin. The yellow carded mattered very little as the whistle blew just moments later, confirming the Lions as the winners. The final score read 24-35 in favour of Claverdon. The boys in red and white now focus on their final match of the season at home to Harborne on Saturday.