Clitheroe show a clinical edge in beating a strong Vale side

Clitheroe hosted Vale of Lune 3rds at Littlemoor on Saturday, they are the current form team of the league and the Maroon & Gold were looking to bounce back to form after a defeat away at Fleetwood the previous week.
With a perfect pitch and excellent weather the game kicked off with Vale looking for early points and applied some good early pressure as the Clitheroe men found their stride. Fifteen minutes in and after some good pressure into the Vale half, Clitheroe were awarded a penalty for a Vale infringement at the ruck, the kick fell wide and Vale cleared their line with a punt up pitch. Confusion reigned in the defensive ranks and a snatched clearance failed to find touch, Vale drove forward again and their fly-half aimed for a drop goal, the ball missed very wide and a Vale attacker slid over with the scooped up ball to score, conversion taken and Vale had a 7 point advantage. The Maroon & Gold responded well and on 25 minutes Bartle broke the gain line from a strong lineout, the back row ensured the ball came back and Watson fed Basquill who used his fantastic pace to scorch in, conversion missed but Clitheroe now had the wind in their sales. After good forward play, Basquill was again involved in the break as the Vale defenders swiped at air in their attempts to snag him, scrum-half Smith was on hand to take the inside pass and dot the ball down under the posts to make the conversion easy. Clitheroe were now looking to punish Vale at every opportunity and after slick work by the pack the back line was again unleashed. In their eagerness to get the ball away, it spilt forward and the Vale backline again fed on a small error to scoop the ball up and score in the corner. Scores all straight at 12 – 12, the half time whistle went.
The half time team talk comprised of a call for calmness in the back line and good work rate in the forwards to squeeze Vale out of the game and the Captain’s call was duly answered within minutes of the starting whistle.
The forwards rolled the maul up into Vale territory, Smith went with the box kick and followed up with the tackle deep in the Vale 22, and the ever hardworking Nuttall drove through with the gathered ball, but was stopped inches from the line. As Vale failed to clear effectively Clitheroe attacked again through the forwards initially, then Smith spun the ball out to Watson who spotted space behind the defence and chipped over the top, following up his deft kick at the pace of a panther he pounced like a feline over the Vale defenders to touchdown, try converted – score 19 – 12. Further pressure led to Clitheroe penalty in front of the posts with the skipper opting to put 3 more points on the board to put the Maroon & Gold more than a converted try ahead, points taken the score moved on to 22 – 12.
The pack had their tails up by now and a series of driving mauls and rucks saw the ball move well into the Vale half once more, Peel screamed for the ball and stepped nicely and strode through for a great score, conversion missed but the score moved forward to 27 – 12 and Clitheroe were looking kill the game completely as a contest.
In a move that summed up the whole Clitheroe performance the ball was won in the midfield by the back row, with Watson having forwards running off him to drive the ball into the Vale half. By now the backs were looking for some space and the spun the ball slickly through the hands deep into the Vale 22 metre area. Interplay between backs and forwards drove the ball within inches of the line and Cowgill was on hand to drive over – just reward for his hard work of the afternoon.
Clitheroe pressed right up to the final whistle but the line was not breached again and the final score was 34 – 12. A fantastic performance from the team against a good side in top form, very satisfying for the home crowd to watch on a fine viewing afternoon.
With such an impressive team performance there were many contenders for the Emporium Home Team Man of the Match. The work rate of Kino and Cowgill in the back row, the charging runs of the tight five, Penny, Graves, Edmondson, Nuttall and Dowson, half backs Smith & Watson were in top form and were admirably backed up by centres Bartle & Peel and wingmen Rigby and O’Connor. But after much deliberation it was dynamic full back Basquill who scooped the prize generously sponsored by the Emporium, Clitheroe.
Next week the Maroon & Gold make the trek to Upper Eden in Cumbria looking to continue their good form.