Sat 15 Oct 2022
Saturday saw Claverdon host two Alcester teams for their annual VPs. The Alcester 1st XV were league leaders, while Claverdon, despite winning their opening two games of the season, were on a 3-game losing streak.
The game was kicked off by Alcester, who displayed some early signs of why they were top of the league. An unconverted try soon followed for the away side after a strong scrum close to the line. Claverdon’s heads did not drop though. 20 minutes of relentless carrying from the likes of Chris Johnson and Elliot Saltmarsh piled the pressure on the Alcester side. A clever cross field kick from Will Jackson saw debutant, Joe Connelly power his way to the line and score. Centre, Sam Turrell slotted the conversion and took Claverdon to a 7-5 lead. Alcester soon responded with a penalty kick to take the game into halftime, 7-8.
The second half was highly contested with both teams showing great intent. Sam Turrell once again took the kicking duties to score a penalty. With 10 minutes left on the clock, Claverdon gave away a series of penalties, allowing Alcester to creep back into the lead after a kick for the posts. The game ended 10-11 to the away side. A devastating loss for Claverdon, but a performance to be proud of.
