Sat 26 Sep 2026
Claverdon edged a hard-fought, high-intensity contest against Upton, holding firm through a nail-biting final few minutes to take the win by three points.
Upton made the early running, winning a penalty in the Claverdon half and slotting it to open the scoring. Claverdon hit back quickly, with Alex Binnie converting a penalty of his own to level things up. Claverdon then struck first from open play, capitalising on an Upton mistake. A dropped ball was pounced on by Josh Evans, who hacked it on through the Upton line and won the race to touch down under the posts.
Upton responded by finding width, going around the outside to cross for their first try of the afternoon. The best moment of the half came soon after, as Luke Sibley ran straight at the Upton defence, side-stepping several defenders on his way to scoring under the sticks. Binnie added a second penalty to extend the lead, but Upton had the final say of the half, crossing again on the last play to keep themselves firmly in the game.
The second half was a far more physical affair, with both sides throwing everything into the contact. Dan Mason stood out with a series of big tackles that kept Upton at bay. Claverdon's pressure paid off when they won a turnover on halfway, and quick hands moved the ball out wide for Calvin Lynch to finish in the corner.
Upton refused to go quietly and scored again in the dying minutes to close the gap to 25–22. With three minutes left, Claverdon had to defend a long and punishing set of phases, showing real discipline and grit before the game came to an end with a lineout on their own five-metre line. The final whistle confirmed a well-deserved 25–22 victory.
Man of the Match: Luke Sibley, whose superb individual try lit up the first half.
Credit must go to Upton, who played a great game throughout and were excellent hosts after the final whistle. Thanks to them for a fantastic afternoon of rugby.
Report by Dan Hadley
