Longlevens RFC

Longlevens need bonus point wins for the remainder of the season to have any chance of finishing second and getting promotion, this was no means an easy win, but mission accomplished and five points are in the bag.

The game started at a fast pace and the Griffins looked in great shape. After four minutes they stole a lineout on the right five metres out and worked the ball to centre field. The possession was recycled quickly and Jack Cuthbert was able to crash over, 7-0.

The message before the game was to keep penalties to a minimum as Clevedon will have a good set piece. Unfortunately, after just 10 minutes the advice was not heeded and a driving lineout was set up from a penalty to the corner. Clevedon drove it over with ease to bring the score back to 7-5. Straight from the KO things were back on track with Kory Holman-Jones winning the re-start. The ball was moved right for Jed Holman-Jones to dummy and sprint his way through for a good score, 14-5.

Clevedon were able to get on the score sheet again with a three pointer but an almost identical try was scored straight from the KO by Jed. Again, possession was re-gained from the re-start and strong running phases stretched the defensive for Jed to run through the holes to score, 19-8.

Clevedon weren’t about to throw in the towel though and they gained more penalties from Longlevens indiscipline. Another driving lineout was set up and scored followed by a penalty kick to bring the score to 19-18. Levens returned the favour just before half time with a catch and drive score of their own through Dave Edwards, meaning the half time score was a closer than it felt 24-18.

The second half started well for the Griffins with possession being secured from fast phases and the Clevedon defence being stretched. Mike Yorke started the scoring off with a well taken try on the right, 29-18. Clevedon then came back into the game briefly with a nice try of their own, their 10 executing a cross field kick for the winger to gather and score, 29-25. This was to be the last time the scores were close as Longlevens then finally pulled away. Brad Wilkins slotted over three points before Kory Holman-Jones powered over near the posts, making it 39-25.

The scoring was finished off from stand in winger, Joe Weatherley. The second row was standing on the wing due to injuries in the game and finished off well in the left-hand corner to make the final score 44-25. Credit to Clevedon for staying in the game and making it a contest, they are a hard team to beat. Next week we travel to Cheltenham North to go for another five-point win.

The seconds were due to play Cheltenham Tigers in their quest to win the league but the Tigers were unable to raise a side. The super 2s got on the fun bus to Berry Hill instead and put in a great performance to win by 70 points, with Carlos Jenkins bagging six. Next week they have the winner takes all game at home to Painswick to see who wins the league.