CLEVE’S crushing 43-0 win over Clevedon was also a game of milestones.
Brad Horman was playing his 150th game for the First team.
Andy O’Donnell and his son Harry made it a family occasion, playing together in the side for the first time.
It was a debut for Harry and 200-plus for Andy, who came close to the line early on as relentless pressure led to a penalty which coach Nathan Huntley, playing at number 10, banged over.
At the 7-minute mark Brad went down injured and left the field, which led to Harry making his debut.
Tries from Archie Franklin and coach Huntley followed before a father-son combination brought a drive near the line that resulted in Harry O’Donnell going over, to put Cleve 22-0 up at half-time.
A number of excellent performances from Cleve players, including a try from Will Warman after chipping through and recovering the ball, made this one of the best games this season.
The victory followed a narrow defeat in the local derby at Barton Hill, with Cleve missing out by just 1 point to lose 15-14.
Cleve dominated throughout the first half but could not get over the line, with wayward passes costing them dear while Barts went into Cleve’s 22 and trundled over for the only first half score.
Coach Huntley assessed the situation half time and made adjustments. Immediately on the restart Cleve went into action and crossed Barts line.
In a to and fro game, Barts slotted over a penalty to lead 8-7 before a penalty try put Cleve in pole position, then a converted try saw Barts go in front.
Cleve pounded the Barts line but could not gain any more points.
Cleve’s 36-7 win over Avonmouth saw tries from C J Harrison, Greg Wellings, Andy Priddle and Will Warman put them 26-7 up at half time, encouraged to play adventurous rugby by Coach Huntley. They kept the pressure up despite freezing temperatures and fog in the second half.
Cleve Seconds’ 65-7 win over Wotton-under-Edge included debuts for four Colts players, including Hayden Humphries, who scored a hat-trick of tries.
Steve Bateman