Running in six tries against anyone at this level is an achievement, and I thought our skill-set, execution, fitness and organization was fantastic today.

- Darren Lloyd, Director of Rugby

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CLINICAL Clifton cruised to a comfortable victory over Dings, outscoring their cross city rivals by six-tries to three at Cribbs Causeway. Clifton's latest victory - they have now won three games in a row - sees them climb up two places in National League Two South to ninth, while the visitors have now been beaten on the last seven occasions, and remain rooted to the foot of the division.

Crusaders were competitive throughout, but Darren Lloyd's men always appeared to be in control of their own destiny, and finished off the chances they created with ruthless efficiency.

Lloyd said: "I'm delighted with the way we went about our business today - we started very well. We were accurate in out execution early on, and got a few early scores on the board. To their credit, they (Dings) came back into in, but the last ten-minutes defined our mentality, and showed what this group is all about.

"We had built up a comfortable lead, but Dings had a long spell of possession. They were hammering away at our line, and were desperate to get in behind us and score another try. Had they managed to do so, nothing would have changed regarding the overall outcome. But we showed how much it meant to keep them out, and we managed to turn them over, and go up the other end and score a try of our own.

"That's the sort of determination and team spirit we're developing, and that passage of play underlined the progress that's being made here at Clifton. Running in six tries against anyone at this level is an achievement, and I thought our skill-set, execution, fitness and organization was fantastic today."

This was a fast and open contest, with both sides appearing to enjoy playing on a reasonably firm surface in dry and sunny conditions. But there was a sense of familiarity about certain facets of the play - Stereo-typically, Clifton enjoyed aerial dominance at the line-out, while Dings ruled the roost at the scrums.

The sides were well matched on paper, but Clifton displayed an air of self-belief and were more cohesive throughout, while Crusaders, despite showing flashes of individual brilliance at times, looked short on confidence, and didn't make the most of their fifty-fifty share of possession.

The home side opened the scoring on eight-minutes, after scrum-half Andy Uren, who was outstanding against his former club, took a quick tap from a scrum free-kick and broke clear before feeding half-back partner Charlie Foley to dive over for a try he also converted.

Number 8 Alistair Bone, who is dual-registered with Plymouth Albion, crashed over soon after for an unconverted try, before Clifton added the try of the match, when tight-head prop Rupert Freestone finished off a flowing move involving both backs and forwards. Again, Foley converted from the sideline, and at 19-0 it looked for all money that Clifton were in the mood to runaway with the contest, and put the Crusaders to the sword.

But credit to Dings from the manner in which they re-grouped and forced their way back into the match. Skipper Oli Reyland gave his side a lifeline, squeezing into the corner for an unconverted try to make it 19-5 at the turnaround.

Centre Sam Harrison was next on the score-sheet for Clifton, after the assistant referee adjudged he won the race to touchdown a loose ball in the dead ball area. Foley was again on target with the conversion. Reyland bagged his second try of the afternoon on 57-minutes, converted by full-back Mark Woodrow, before Foley added the extras to replacement flanker James Stephenson crashed over following a driving line-out.

Hooker Dave Wheeler pulled a converted try back on 71-minutes for Dings, but it was the home side that had the final say, when on-loan Bone cantered in under the posts after his side had turned the ball over and punished the visitors sloppiness.

Dings player coach Woodrow lamented missed tackles and his sides' lack of composure. He said: "We played pretty well in patches, but we missed too many one-on-one tackles in the first-half, and that allowed Clifton to build up a lead. Also, I think we lacked a bit of patience when we had the ball, and too often went looking for the miracle ball, when all we needed to do was hold onto it, and just keep going through the phases.

"We have ten-games remaining and need to start winning some games soon, if we are to survive the drop. Admittedly it's a big ask, but not impossible. We have to take the good things from today's performance - and there were lots - and keep trying to build on them. Unless relegation is a mathematical certainty, we have to keep trying to turn things around."

Clifton: Pomphrey; Kelly, S Harrison, Wells, Henry, Foley, Uren; T Harrison, Fincken, Freestone, Quinn, Curry, Wolf, Penhale, Bone: Reps: Bullimore; Stephenson, Manners, Thomas, Mackay.

Dings: Woodrow; Hunt, Gervais, Plummer, Reyland, Sheedy, Turner; Hudd, Wheeler, J Lloyd, Hack, Holcombe, Polledri, Williams, Uren. Reps: Hilton; Hawkesby, Canulli, G Lloyd, Bolster.

Scorers:

Clifton tries: Bone 14, 80. Foley 8, Freestone 24, Harrison 46, Stephenson 61. Conversions: Foley (5).

Dings tries: Reyland 29, 57. Wheeler 71. Conversions: Woodrow (2).