Five Try Start for Clitheroe

New start for Clitheroe's rugby team. New captain, new league and new faces in the line up.

And indeed for the first half hour Clitheroe were running riot at Oldham. Having moved sideways into the Raging Bull league set up over the summer in search of more regular and competitive fixtures, initially the master plan seemed to be working with clockwork precision.

Even though the early season absentees from holidays and cricket tested the selectors patience during the week, there was still an air of optimism as the team stepped into the unknown for the first fixture.

Newly elected skipper Richard Few led the team from scrum half, with a team that mixed grizzled veterans and fresh faces in an exciting looking line up.
In came David Kenyon, Austin Wensley and Jamie Farrell at fly half, left wing and lock respectively; all three wearing the maroon & gold 1st XV jersey for the first time. A recall for Matt Bleasedale after coming down from University and an emotional return to the fray for second row Andrew Rigby.

In bright sunshine on a perfect surface Clitheroe got off to a flier. After four minutes Welsh wing forward James Haynes had crashed over to open Clitheroes' account. Kenyon slotted the conversion to post his first Clitheroe points.
The Littlemoor men were all over their seemingly out of sorts opponents. The defence was sound and the pack were causing mayhem at the important ruck and tackle area, where the was a surfeit over turnover ball.

Kiwi flanker Darren Eagle was then a beneficiary of a mix up in the Oldham defence – ever chasing and hassling -he was in the right place to scoop the ball off a flat footed full back to score.

It took another ten minutes before the town team were over the line again. As Eagle pinched a wayward lineout through, he cut through the first up defence and popped a lovely inside pass to fellow forward Luke Hayton who generated a remarkable head of steam to power over under the posts.

Unbeknown at this time, the loss of these two players to injury would prove significant in the final shakedown of this match.

By now the Clitheroe machine was purring along like a well oiled machine. But the chinks were just beginning to show. Hayton now was off with a shoulder niggle, in spite of some valiant attention from physio Aiden Holgate, on came Will Jones to reshuffle the pack.

Oldham perhaps had recovered their poise and pride and began the fight back. Clitheroe then gained the displeasure of the referee and many warnings later both Kenyon and Garth Spencer were in the sin bin.
Down to 13 Oldham hit their straps and pounce for two tries.
When Kenyon returned just before the interval Clitheroe had an injection of confidence and skipper Few used his pace to go over for the score.
Oldham still finished the half stronger replying with a try of their own.

So at the turn round Clitheroe were still ahead by 2 but were seemingly on the back foot.

Some frank exchanges of views at the interval seemed to galvanise a by now full compliment team. And Clitheroe attacked with renewed vigour. A strong burst up the right wing created a good attacking platform. Captain Few then scored a typical scrum half try, ferreting and tunnelling under a few tackles to dot down the ball.

Any thoughts of settling the game were dashed when off limped hamstrung Eagle to be replaced by enthusiastic utility man Graeme Hanson.

Oldham now smelt blood and Clitheroe were rocking but still clinging to their slender lead. But when the home side scored another to put them again two points behind, the end seemed somehow inevitable.

So when Oldham threw the kitchen sink at Clitheroe's line it was no surprise to concede a penalty. Of course the home kicker who had been spraying them all over the place earlier, calmly slotted it over.

There was still time to snatch it at the death, but another yellow card for Rigby, almost put paid to Clitheroe's chances.

Credit to the home team for their tenacity and determination for never giving up. Fair play and we look forward to the return fixture in April.

Clitheroe can take masses of positives out of this game. The loss by such a slim margin and in such fashion was and is the bitterest pill to swallow. But the first half hour was one of the best and most exciting periods played by a Clitheroe team for many a year. The negatives are obvious, but relativity easily fixed. It was a harsh lesson to learn.
It is not often you come out on the losing side after scoring five tries.

There were plenty of constructive and optimistic things that came out of the game,; the set piece work showed improvement and showed the hard work on the training paddock is paying dividends.

Clitheroe can move forward with a certain air of confidence, knowing they may still be work in progress but with the correct attitude, will just get better and better