1st XV - Cleobury Mortimer: 19 - 5

Written by Website Administrator

Saturday, 02 December 2006

A BRILLIANT interception try from Dan Careless turned a tight game in favour of Leamingtonians who have now won three games on the trot.   Lock forward Careless, far more athletic than most second row players at this level, showed his pace with a searing run from well inside his own 22 to to touch down and leave Alex Pain to convert and provide the home side with the platform of a 12-5 lead halfway through the second half.   The visitors, promoted this term and still basking in the glow of a final appearance at Twickenham in May, continued to make a fight of it and a see-saw contest was only settled 10 minutes from time when Tom Parkinson capped the best move of the game with an angled run to the line. Pain again converted to complete the scoring and inject another surge of confidence into a side happily free of those early season blues.   Cleobury had the best of the windy conditions in the opening 40 minutes and it took some resolute OL defence to keep them at bay until the pattern of play did an about turn to bring an opening score from home scrum-half Luke Statton who picked up from the base of the scrum ard darted down the blindside to dive over.   Undeterred, Cleobury hit back with renewed vigour and were justly rewarded when their inside centre equalised with a well-worked try.   Leamingtonians, with new full-back Robbie Riddler again making a pleasing impression, never did get to grips with the elements and they regularly lost hard-earned possession through sloppy passing. But in Careless and Parkinson they boasted individuals capable of accepting try-scoring opportunities.   The league programme takes a back seat on Saturday, but Sunday throws up a challenging Warwickshire Cup tie between neighbours Leamingtonians and Leamington at The Crofts (2.15). The two teams have bucked up of late and it promises to be a tight affair with the OLs looking to avenge last season's defeat at the same stage.

 

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