Not quite there defensively and the game slipped away

In order to move up one place in the league before the end of the season Clitheroe needed to win one of their remaining two fixtures and this one, against North Manchester was probably going to be the easier of the two. So, from one perspective it was disappointing to lose once again but in light of the fact that they were playing at far from full strength and had a number of players carrying knocks into the game, it could be said that they did as well as could have been expected prior to the game.

The pack was relatively strong with only Martyn Yeoman making his debut start in the firsts but is was in the backs that the biggest changes were made. Paul Woodworth, coming in on the wing and Ed Rigby taking the full back spot were both enjoying their first starts in the 1st XV this season. It must be said from the beginning that these guys performed exceptionally well and must surely be pushing for regular slots if they continue to play like they did.

So to the game and playing into the wind in the first half Clitheroe were raring to go. The opening exchanges were fairly even but as time wore on, North were in the ascendancy. They were using their bulky forwards to great effect, sending them on rampaging runs in the fly half channel. This was paying off as the Clitheroe defenders appeared to have forgotten how to tackle and with only 5 minutes gone, North scored a simple try, which was later converted.

Another game and another poor start from the men in maroon and gold. However, this time they were spurred on and with the back row of Thornber, Cowgill and Chamberlain fronting up well they started to make ground. Thornber was especially lively, getting around the pitch like a spring chicken and pinching the ball with ease. North started to give away penalties on a regular basis at the breakdown and when scrum half Smith took one of his trademark quick tap penalties he scampered upfield deep into the opposition territory. He offloaded the ball to captain Graves and once again, the referee penalised the home team for indiscretions on the floor. Up stepped centre Callaghan in the absence of regular kicker Lafranceschina and kicked the 3 points from in front of the posts.

Only a few minutes later, Callaghan hacked on and set up a great attacking position in the North 22. The ball was recycled well and up popped Callaghan once more, this time with the ball in hand, and over the line he went to push the score to 10-7 in Clitheroe’s favour. At this point, North awoke from the apparent slumber and only a great try saving tackle from Rigby kept them out. They weren’t to be foiled for too long though and they crossed the whitewash on the left wing after great support play and a crooked defensive line gave them the room they needed.

From a spectator’s perspective it was certainly end to end stuff. Clitheroe were to take the lead once more on the half hour mark when Smith once again tapped a penalty, Yeoman powered onto the pass and Callaghan took the final pass after the ensuing ruck to score once more. At this point is was 12 points to the hosts and 15 to Callaghan! In actual fact the team was playing quite well and deserved their narrow lead. As the positive feeling got stronger, poor tackling was to banish this positivity as quickly as it had come. Firstly, the North tight head prop gathered the ball from a line out and in any other game he would have been smashed quickly by the Clitheroe defence. However, he picked up speed and no-one was to get a hand on him until he was upon the line. Only fly half Watson managed to partially stop him but it was too late and the try was scored. North were to score one more and at the half time break, the score was 24-15 in the hosts’ favour.

There’s not really too much to say about the second half. Other than a penalty and a couple of long range penalty misses from Callaghan, one of which rebounded off the posts, Clitheroe were put under the cosh on numerous occasions. Their defence was severely tested by a North side willing to move the ball wide whenever possible. Notable occurrences would be the sin bin of Smith following his disagreement with a flanker and the worrying injury to veteran Watson’s knee. North scored three unanswered tries in the final 30 minutes and took their chances well to secure the game whilst the Clitheroe defence withered away. On reflection, strong performances came from the young guns Woodworth and Rigby, from No. 8 Chamberlain who’s really starting to exert his presence and show his value to the Clitheroe team and of course, from centre Callaghan. He scored all the points on this occasion and defended robustly throughout.

So to the next game. Clitheroe play their final league game of the season in 2 weeks time (18th May, KO 15:00), this time at home to Tarleton. The last time these two teams met was right at the start of the season and Tarleton took the honours that day using their quick backs and good support play to run the town team ragged. This time could be quite different and with senior players returning to vie for a place in the side, a fine contest could be in store.