Sat 31 Jan 2026
Claverdon RFC hosted Southam to Ossetts Hole Lane on Saturday afternoon in a re-arranged fixture, following frozen pitches earlier in January. Southam went into the fixture with bragging rights following a last-minute winner at their ground back in September.
The conditions proved testing on Saturday. A heavy downpour minutes before kick-off meant the pitch was extremely soft underfoot, and the chance of handling errors increased greatly. Despite the weather, Claverdon opened the match with some admirable running rugby, utilising every square inch of the pitch. The first 20 minutes of the match were scoreless with handling errors from both sides, causing possession to change hands constantly. The Lions did however open the scoring with a penalty expertly drilled through the posts by Luke Sibley. 10 minutes later, a penalty awarded to Claverdon in a similar position should have seen Sibley add another 3 points to the board. However, the team opted for a scrum which was soon regretted as Southam turned the ball over and gained 80+ metres of territory. In the final minute of the first half, Southam, with all of the momentum, found themselves within touching distance of Claverdon's try line. Following a series of strong forwards carries, the ball was brought out wide to the Southam backline and a missed tackle allowed the away side to score under the posts.
The second half largely mirrored the first - a very even contest between the two sides as they struggled with the wet, muddy conditions. The crowd had very little to cheer for during the majority of the second half, with both teams displaying strong defence. Claverdon, chasing the Southam lead, showed grit and determination through the strong carries of Charlie Wakelam and Harry Fussell. With 10 minutes to go, a fantastic link up between James Williams and Luke Sibley saw the former chipping the ball over the Southam defensive line, with the latter collecting and diving emphatically over the line to score. Sibley added the conversion to go 10-7 up. While the home side had thought they could manage the low-scoring game out from this point, Southam had different ideas. A mistake from Claverdon following the restart allowed Southam to camp out deep into the Lions' half, culminating in a dramatic charge over the line from the away side. All of Claverdon's hard work was written off as Southam regained the lead and managed the game out from there. The final score read 10-14, with Claverdon only able to claim a losing bonus point. The Lions will now enjoy a weekend off while watching the start of the Six Nations. Their next match will be Saturday 14th February as they travel away to Upton-on-Severn.
Report by Hilton Garner-Jones
