St Mary's 34 Clevedon 7
8th February 2003

Back to 1st XV fixtures This top of the table clash started with both sides attacking from the first whistle. Both sides had opportunities but it was Mary's who took the lead with a well executed try by the Mary's winger after good work by the forwards. Clevedon hit back with an excellent try after Mike Lowis made a fine break and run, which ended with Chris Page on his shoulder to crash over under the posts. Steve Johnson converted. Both sides defences were on top, with Clevedon having two clear cut chancesto score on the right wing, but lack of pace allowed Mary's to cover defend. Before the break Mary's kept up the pressure on the Clevedon line with superb lineout play and domination. Mary's kicked a penalty to lead 8-7 at the break. After a bright start to the second half Clevedon were always up against a well drilled pack who had the upper hand in the front five. This dominance caused problems for Clevedon behind the scrum and Clevedon were faced with unusual pressure and made mistakes. A good side will punish the mistakes and this is what Mary's did. First Clevedon had a kicked charged down, which resulted in a try. Mary's forward dominance caused a second try with their backs using the referee's positioning to elude the Clevedon tacklers. Clevedon lived off scraps and in chasing the game, sloppy and bad passing let Mary's in for two more tries, which were converted. In this game Mary's had the upper hand, lets hope it is the reverse in the cup quarter final on the 22nd. Match day photos can be found here Next Sunday Clevedon are at home to Combe Down in the Somerset Cup, kick off is at 2:30pm. Back to 1st XV fixtures