Drybrook Rugby Club

Drybrook 1st XV 12pts
Cleve 1st XV 10pts

Drybrook was awash with seasonal fervour as the visit of Cleve would be the last home fixture the fans would see this year.
The pre match Christmas lunch had gone down a treat and full of turkey and mince pies the faithful somewhat steadily made their way to the pitch-side.
This was where the festivities ended. Both teams have had a hard start to the season and the result would be crucial to bolstering the confidence of either camp.
Cleve started the game kicking long into the Drybrook twenty two. Bourne passed inside to Renton who carried hard to set up the breakdown midfield. A good box kick from Regan Marsh was knocked on by the Cleve winger and Drybrook had a good attacking scrum just outside the visitors twenty two.
Bourne picked up at the base and broke infield before off-loading to his captain Ben Large who had picked a lovely line and looked set to score the opening try. Good defence just managed to stop him and when Drybrook spilled the recycled possession Cleve were able to clear their lines.
Stevenson kept the pressure on the visitors by forcing them back to their twenty two with a good line kick. Cleve won the lineout but kicked possession away to the waiting Mitch Baldwin who set up another home team attack. The ball was moved wide to the right and the final pass taken into contact by Marsh, who was then forced to leave the field with a knee injury.
Drybrook reorganised moving Peaper into the backs, bringing on Watts in the back-row and switching Clancy to scrumhalf.
Drybrook again attacked through a lineout ten metres from the Cleve line, but a loose pass meant that Cleve were again let off the hook.
The lumpy Cleve pack then asserted some pressure but were met with solid defence from the home team. The game was developing into a battle of attrition with few chances being created.
Drybrook maintained the lion’s share of possession but found the visiting team’s rear-guard action hard to break down.
Eventually with thirty five minutes played a big hit from Greenway earned the home team a penalty just outside the Cleve twenty two on the left hand side.

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Stevenson however did not make the best of contacts with the ball and it failed to find its intended destination.
Drybrook continued to press but seemed unable to find the right combinations to break down the visitor’s defensive wall.
With forty five minutes on the clock the first half seemed destined to end in stalemate until rare Cleve attack resulted in a penalty being awarded for an offside at the ruck.
The Cleve Outside half put the ball between the posts and they took an unexpected three – nil lead into the break.
The half-time carol concert led by Chris Fortey who was a renowned solo chorister, until an unsavoury incident with the local parish priest curtailed his career, went down well with the crowd, who especially enjoyed his rendition of Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer.
Drybrook started the second half kicking towards the clubhouse which was getting harder to pick-out in the darkening sky.
In contrast to the first half it was now Cleve who were pressing the Drybrook defence and in all honesty squandered a number of chances to increase their lead. Time and again they took the wrong option allowing Drybrook the opportunity to clear their lines.
With twenty minutes of the second period played a good break by Mitch Baldwin created the opportunity for quick ball but a deliberate knock down by the Cleve wing forward resulted in a yellow card and the opportunity for Stevenson to level the game.
Typically in the way things have gone for Drybrook this season the kick was again off target.
Undeterred the Drybrook team tore straight back at the opposition and a driven lineout five metres out resulted in replacement prop Elliot Beatie crashing over from close range. The conversion was just wide but Drybrook were at last on the scoreboard and led by five points to three.
With ten minutes remaining both teams threw caution to the wind and the crowd were kept on tender-hooks as Drybrook looked to seal the victory.
Despite the superiority in terms of attack and possession it was only too clear for everyone to

see that one error or lack of concentration could cost the game and sure enough with four minutes left to play Cleve broke in mid-field and a very dubious looking pass was waved on by the ref who was somewhat behind play and the Cleve winger was in on the left to the horror of the home support. The Cleve kicker converted and Cleve had a ten points to five lead that they must have felt was good enough to give them the spoils.
Could Drybrook muster one more effort? Of course they could!
Big carries from Greenway and Frowen created space for Captain Fantastic to glide through and level the scores with a try just to the left of the posts.
Stevenson wisely handed the ball to cool-as-you-like James Clancy and the young scrum-half nailed the conversion to give his team a vital two point victory.
The audible relief of players and supporters alike was almost deafening as the win was celebrated in some style.
This was not the prettiest game of rugby ever played but it was hard and unrelenting. Given the pressure of expectation and the fact they were within a fraction of losing, Drybrook should be very proud of this win. Everyone on the field deserves credit, but special mention must go to Greenway who was outstanding all afternoon, Mitch Baldwin who worked hard all game to put the visitors on the back foot and James Clancy, who has been asked to fill various gaps in the team all season. He showed his class at half-back and a cool head in converting the winning score.
Well done Drybrook you dogged it out and got what you deserved.
Points now in the last two away games at Weston and Exmouth would make a very satisfying end to 2018.

Drive on Dry !

DRYBROOK SQUAD : WINFIELD, CLANCY, PRICE, LARGE, BALDWIN, STEVENSON, MARSH, BOURNE, FROWEN, PEAPER, RENTON, GREENWAY, SEVILLE, HOWELLS, HALE, STRETCH, WATTS, BEATIE.