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NO CHANCE AT CLEVE

NO CHANCE AT CLEVE

Edwin Baker26 Nov 2014 - 13:48
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At a Cleve penalty five metre lineout only two minutes in

At a Cleve penalty five metre lineout only two minutes in it was clear that Cullompton faced an uphill struggle when the opposition jumper at the front of the line intercepted a throw that looked destined for the scrum half and the ball was recycled a couple of times before their flanker, Lewis Beer, cut a nice line to the posts for a try converted by standoff, Ben Roberts.

In recent weeks Cully’s lineout has been a feature of their game so when a fine kick by Cully flyhalf, Alex Brooks, the first of several such kicks during the match, set up a good position on three minutes, in the Cleve twenty two, it looked as though the visitors were about to strike back. However the referee’s decision of “put in not straight” which was to be his stock decision for most Cully lineouts during the match, kept the visitors well away from the Cleve line and handed the home side’s much heavier pack the initiative in the Cully half.

Cleve efficiently pressed home their advantage with tries on twelve and twenty minutes both the product of penalties at midfield scrums leading to lineouts in the Cully twenty two with eight Harry Goodfield and hooker Tom Gollop claiming the points at the back of mauls. A nice backs score on twenty eight minutes where centre Sean Lilly collected a loose ball in his own half and made a good break before putting in fellow centre Steve Bath, was followed five minutes before the break by the second for Goodfield behind a maul after Cully had by now routinely failed to secure possession at a lineout on their own five. Roberts had converted three of the tries for 33-0 at half time.

The second half opened with a Cully score. A fine Brooks penalty found touch on the Cleve five, hooker Dan Driscoll delivered the ball to flanker Sean Mardell lifted at the back of the line and prop Chris Grant claimed the points at the back of a maul that moved over the line with such ease that one cynic suggested that Cleve had been taken by surprise by the rare unpenalised set piece. Brooks added the extras for 33-7 but at the end of the third quarter the quality of the Cleve backs showed in two quick tries for scrum half Nathan Huntley and Lilly both converted by Roberts.

Cully supporters were understandably flat at the end of the game but the players were reasonably upbeat about their prospects at St Austell this Saturday. In the final quarter some of the older Cleve forwards were tiring and a well judged cross field kick by Brooks for replacement winger Adam Harris forced an opposition knock on deep in their twenty two. After several minutes of pressure applied to the Cleve line another Cully try looked in prospect but the final whistle blown fully five minutes early removed this opportunity.

Team optimism looked justified by aspects of play such as the performance under the high ball which had been faultless, youngsters, Harvey Scott tackling hard at flanker and Scott Reed and Harris looking the part off the bench and the kicking of Brooks which he modestly attributed, after the game, to the type of ball being much easier to use (Chris Wall investigate!). The selection of a heavier pack, with the probability of Sam Harris back could see the long trip to Cornwall rewarded.

Cully also fielded a debutant as highly regarded coach Altan Ozdemir pulled on the Cully jersey for the first time this week as replacement prop. It was great to see a bloke who irrespective of the score, was obviously delighted to be back in harness again and was thoroughly enjoying his cameo role with not even a hint of a red card Keith Brooking please note……Ode to Oz…….Never mind the weather. I’m in Cully pack together; a flanker’s shoulder up my bum; O how I love to scrum!

It was heartening for club members who happened to return to Stafford Park at around six ‘o clock to witness the scene in the club house and a pity that Independent journalist Conrad Sutcliffe was not there to see it. Conrad devoted his column this week to the state of second and third team rugby and the number of players in the county who just don’t seem interested any more. Conrad, you need look no further than the Cully third team captain, Steve Luxon, for your answer.

This mature (ageing) party animal, the type of bloke with the charisma to get players on the field and won’t take no for an answer (what do you mean you can’t f------ play! ) was demonstrating that the second and third team game does not end after eighty minutes and the social side can extend long into the evening. Luxon had brought his team back from Tiverton after a notable 46-7 victory where he and his son Josh had scored a try apiece! and was conducting court to the amusement of a fair number of onlookers and Kev Walker’s colts who had vanquished Barnstaple 22-0: the sixty or so souls breathing life into what would have been a pretty quiet bar. Well done Steve Luxon for showing that players will play if its going to be fun and as a footnote what’s this nonsense about a final year?

Encore! Encore! we say.

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