CLEVE have won the first of the knockout games that determine whether the rugby club advances to a higher league.
They welcomed Keynsham to the Hayfields in Mangotsfield on April 16, in front of a large, lively crowd.
Cleve found Keynsham particularly tough opponents in the regular season, and spent the first 20 minutes of the game in defence to stop the visitors taking advantage of their possession.
Will Warman had to pull off a great last-ditch tackle, and the forwards stopped Keynsham going through the middle.
Then, after a scrum, Cleve moved the ball wide and Henry Williams scored in the corner. Matt Jarvis added the conversion, but Keynsham replied straight away with a penalty.
A yellow card took Cleve down to 14 players but this stirred them into action and, after good ball movement, Archie Staples scored under the posts.
Keynsham were really up for the game and some aggressive tackling led to a try, before it was Cleve’s turn to turn the screw, and mounting pressure brought another try to make it 19-10 at half time.
The second half saw Cleve go through the gears, with Matt Lane at the forefront of some great passing. A catch and drive in the corner produced a score for 26-10 but Keynsham fought back, with an interception try again bringing them close.
The game then swung decisively towards Cleve, with Tom Gollop storming through like a steam train from a lineout, before Staples and Lane each scored again.
A consolation try from Keynsham made the final score 40-24 to Cleve, who went through to face Chippenham in the next round.
Cleve went into the play-offs in fine form, finishing the regular season with a 113-5 away demolition of Cheltenham.
The final home league fixture was a 74-17 win over Gloucester side Longlevens.
Cleve started sharply, Theo Garnett scoring on the wing in the first few minutes after a catch and drive, and Matt Jarvis kicking the conversion.
Tries from Mitch Abraham, Will Warman and Nick Coe quickly brought the score up to 26-0, with Matt Jarvis leading the backs well and kicking superbly.
Further tries from Matt Lane, Garnett again, Leo Holbrook and Henry Williams put Cleve 50-0 up at half-time.
Longlevens benefitted from the break and came out with more intent, with their large back row forwards starting to crash into Cleve’s backline, resulting in a try.
Cleve got back on track, and kept up the pressure despite a yellow card, with further tries for Giles Davis and Lane with his second.
After a second Longlevens try, Ben Robinson skipped through and scored under the posts to make the final score 74-17 to Cleve.
Steve Bateman