CLEVE made a blistering start to the rugby season, blowing away their first three opponents to top the Regional 2 Severn table.
After a tough pre-season game against what appeared to be the majority of Wootton Bassett’s 1st XV, league fixtures started with a visit to Keynsham.
Cleve were very much firing on all cylinders and well-prepared for a team who had been a tough opponent last year.
In the first five minutes the backs moved the ball wide, with Chuckie Evans prominent in the loose. Pressure and a break by Ashley Wildgoose created a try under the posts. Minutes later, Cleve centre Tom Jones broke through and the forwards went over to make it 14-0, with Mr Consistent Matt Jarvis slotting the over the conversions.
Keynsham pressured Cleve’s line, where their second row popped up to score, but Cleve responded with good ball movement to score three converted and unanswered tries to make it 35-7 at half-time.
The second half saw Andy O’Donnell come on, completing a front row partnership with son Harry.
Cleve started to excel and scored a wonderful team try to make it 40-7 before debutant Tom Jones came to the party, going over twice, first after a fake to the wing and then after a great break by Matt Lane, who must have beaten nearly ten players.
The forwards were playing extremely well, as Cleve relentlessly pounded the Keynsham line.
The ball was smuggled between Harry O’D and Chuckie, who took it over to make it 61-7, before Bryce Sherriffe scored his first try for Cleve and Tom Jones crossed the line for his third of the game, to make the final score 75-7.
Cleve veteran Tony Davis summed up the game by saying, Cleve’s defence and offloading were both immaculate.
At home in Mangotsfield Cleve seconds took on Yate, an up-and-coming club. After a tight first half, with Cleve up by a few points, they scored after a breakout and eventually won 26-15.
New coach Simon Clarke said it was a tremendous result, and a good start in a new league.
The 1st XV’s took on Wotton Bassett 2nds in their the first home league game, and it was obvious from the outset that Cleve were by far the stronger team.
Tom Jones scored the opening try after only nine minutes, with more tries from Nick Coe, Matt Lane and Bryce Sherriffe securing a bonus point after only 28 minutes.
Wotton Bassett then lost a player to a yellow card after conceding several penalties through desperate defence.
Cleve flanker Connor McKinney then ran a superb line to cut back against the flow of passing to score under the posts. Two more tries were scored before half time, by Bryce Sherriffe and Matt Lynch, before Wotton Bassett scored an unconverted try in the 38th minute.
Matthew Jarvis converted six of Cleve’s seven tries to make it 47-5 at half time.
More of the same followed in the second half, with Henry Williams scoring after only two minutes.
A Cleve yellow card had no effect on their attacking style of rugby, with replacement centre Jake Campey scoring two quick tries in the 51st and 53rd minutes.
A second Cleve yellow card briefly took Cleve down to 13 players but again this did not affect the flow of play: more tries were scored by Harry O’Donnell, Bryce Sherriffe and Jake Campey, the latter two from 35 and 40 yards respectively.
Wotton Bassett scored a second unconverted try at the death but the final score was a thumping 87-10 to Cleve, with Jarvis scoring 22 points and both Bryce Sherriffe and Jake Campey ending with a hat-trick of tries on their home debuts.
Whilst attack was the name of the game, Cleve’s defence was outstanding throughout, especially after conceding the yellow cards; special mention in this respect must go to Ashley Wildgoose, out of retirement after three years, and Leo Holbrook, who just likes “smashing” people!
Cleve’s next fixture was away to Newbury Blues, who were expected to provide a much sterner test and give the team an indication of how the season is likely to progress.
Another thumping win, this time by 50 points to 0, bodes very well for the games to come.
Steve Bateman and
Lyn Smith