Weston v Clevedon

Four try Bird steals the show !!

Mitchell Bird , so often Weston's unsung hero ,capped a superb individual and team performance with a fantastic double brace to see off gallant Clevedon in a full blooded and bruising Somerset cup encounter at the recreation ground by 34 points to 12 , Weston coming from behind to rack up 34 unanswered points .

Once again late withdrawals through injury meant more selection headaches for Weston ,but it was the rampant start for Clevedon which inflicted the most pain on the home side who quickly found themselves 12 nil down in as many minutes . After knocking their Clevedon out of the BCC Cup last month it was clear their visitors had come for revenge with two fine scores , only some last gasp tackles prevented the score from increasing. Gradually though Weston managed to claw their way back into the game with Birds first try after some good work by Weston's forwards quickly followed by a superb long range individual try by the hobbling Jake Middleton. On the stroke of half time Bird added his second for a half time score of Weston 15 Clevedon 12

The second half began with Weston's forwards really setting about the job in hand with the powerful George Bamsey ,Tom Hughes and Mitchell Bird making some storming runs into the heart of the Clevedon defence . Soon after Bird crossed for his hat-trick , Archie Tilsley adding the extras , WsM 22 Clevedon 12 ,and some daylight was beginning to appear .

To their immense credit, Clevedon , with their dangerous midfield and some powerful ball carrying forwards , showed some real spirit and refused to give in , only some aggressive defending keeping them out from short range on a couple of occasions. It was Weston however who were also far from done , Josh Gardner ,who had another huge game, began to dominate the lineout and Weston really began to turn the screw. Mitchell Bird was soon to add his fourth with 5 minutes left , 27-12 to Weston.

The pace and ferocity didn't let up , even in the dying minutes , and with their tails firmly up , it was the home side who finished the day with a sixth try from Tom Hughes , converted by Tilsley , who also continues to improve , for a final score of Weston 34 Clevedon 12. A great and exciting game of rugby for the large crowd where both sides can be pleased with the overall effort and commitment shown.
For Weston , apart from the opening 10 minutes , this was a real team performance of character and determination and one to be proud of , to score 34 unanswered points against a good side is a credit to all those involved .

Well done to all of you , great stuff . Jon