Cleve 69 pts v Basingstoke 20 pts away 25th Feb 2007
Report by courtesy of Basingstoke Gazette.

PROMOTION-chasing Cleve under lined their superior strength and resources by ruthlessly dismantling Basingstoke as the gap between the South West One clubs who can afford to pay players and those who cannot was brutally exposed. Affiliated to Bristol RFC, Cleve made hay at Hayfields on Saturday with a relentless, forward-driven performance that, allied with a punishing set of backs, ’Stoke’s youngsters could not withstand. Although Jim Dixon’s side rattled the sabre by scoring inside three minutes, Cleve merely treated it as trifling belligerence, stepped up their game and ran in 11 tries, seven of which were converted. Such rampant play gave way to many derogatory Cleve comments as they further hurt the ’Stoke ranks with mocking shouts of "they don’t want it" during the match. It was a verdict ’Stoke skipper Ross Stirling made reference to afterwards when he commented: "We need 15 guys to turn up to games wanting to play. "There’s been too many away games this season where we haven’t had that and this was another."

Having already beaten Clevedon in the league last Saturday and lost to National Three South Havant in the Hampshire Cup on Tuesday night, the trip to Cleve once more pushed ’Stoke’s threadbare squad to its limit. Further unavailability on the day hit the ranks and player-coach Dixon was forced into a major revamp, naming untried Academy teenagers Chris Jackson, James Saunders and Gareth Patterson in a real baptism of fire.

"Three games in seven days has been tough and we have a lot of sore bodies now, but I am disappointed with today," said Stirling. "We proved when we scored first – and by the way we played for the final 20 minutes – that we could have given Cleve a proper game." It looked as though ’Stoke would do just that when they shocked second-in-the-table Cleve with a superb opening try inside three minutes. Playing with the strong wind at their backs, Simon Humberstone’s deep kick into the opposing 22 secured a set-piece from which a well-drilled lineout, won by Stirling, sent ’Stoke away. The lock’s drop to teenage scrum-half Jackson yielded another pass to rampaging Jim Dixon and, as the ball was recycled among the backs, Dave Lambert’s pacy run through the Cleve centres and pass out to Ollie Rogers saw the winger over. Full-back Mike Goodall converted a difficult kick on the left touchline to make it 7-0 to ’Stoke. But it drew an instant response from Cleve and their pack. Fly-half Luke Cozens twice took advantage of ’Stoke infringements to kick to the corner and set up close-range drive-over tries for wing Jon Pritchard and openside flanker Jack Bentall respectively. ’Stoke’s subsequent territorial gain and a driving maul of their own took them within five metres of a score, but a big Cleve defensive push saw ’Stoke relinquish the 10 metres gained. And when Cleve turned over and then broke away through full-back Richard Catt, it was not long before they scored again following a scrum, influential Springbok scrum-half Hentie Martens putting centre Scott Hill free to burst through a gaping midfield. Cozens converted to put Cleve 17-7 up after 20 minutes and the pattern of play that got Bentall his opening score was repeated again on 25 minutes, with Cozen adding the extras. Following more hard-fought yards, Goodall’s excellent brace of penalties made it 29-13. But, as Cleve hit back, the growing ’Stoke frustration with the referee’s interpretation at the breakdown and various decisions against the visitors spilled over. And it was costly, for flankers Patterson and Dixon were sin-binned within a minute of each other just before half-time. The referee deemed Patterson had interfered deliberately while on the floor in a ruck, while Dixon was sin-binned for illegally breaking from a scrum to kick the ball away as Cleve were poised to drive over. The visitors suffered a double blow – the big Kiwi’s dismissal and a penalty try being awarded to make it 36-13. During the pair’s absence, Goodall went off injured and Gareth Jones came on, with Rogers moving to full-back. Cleve scored two more tries to advance the score to 48-13 and, against 15 men, they still maintained their impetus. Outside-centre Greg Setherten scored very easily, bursting through the midfield at speed, while Martens darted over, spinning off the back of a close-range scrum. ’Stoke knew it wasn’t their day when the referee deemed Jones and Lambert had charged Cozens too soon to make him miss the conver- sion effort and he gave the Cleve kicker another chance, which he took. Down 62-13 with 20 minutes left, ’Stoke became far more aggressive and played far more positively. Another quality move through the phases ending with Lambert’s 63rd-minute try, which Humberstone converted well, kicking into a fierce wind from distance. Although the match was won, the final quarter was keenly contested and ’Stoke responded with far better rugby, the only blight being a forward pass from Andrew Rowlands to Shane Murphy which gave Cleve a penalty from which Setherton scored their final try.

’Stoke: Mike Goodall (rep Gareth Jones 47min); Dave Lambert, Andrew Patrick, Myles Rutherford, Ollie Rogers; Simon Humberstone, Chris Jackson; Shane Murphy, Andrew Rowlands, Phil Perkins; Ross Stirling, James Saunders (rep Kelvin Chapman 60min); Jim Dixon, Gareth Patterson, Tom Northcote. Rep (not used): Matt Oliver.