Bournville 22 Clifton 27: Last gasp try denies Bourns

Bournville’s hopes of victory in front of large gathering of former players were scuppered by a last-gasp try from Clifton’s replacement hooker Tom Hatch.

Two tries in a four minute period from Jonjo Fanning and Sam Grimshaw appeared to have put Bournville on course for victory until Hatch rumbled over from close-range from Clifton’s final attack of the match and Rory Taylor banged over the conversion.

It was another tense and entertaining affair which gave the great and the good – and the not-so-good – who assembled for the first past players’ lunch of the season a fair idea of Bournville’s progress so far this season.

The current league position does not reflect the quality of rugby that has been played but the side’s tenacity has been rewarded with 13 bonus points – six of them losing ones – from their first 11 games.

No side in the top four levels of league rugby in England have earned  more bonus points than Bournville this season although National League North club Fylde also have 13.

“We have done a lot of things really well today against a quality side,” said Head Coach Matt Price.

“It’s just that final pass, that final clear-out that we need to get right. It’s frustrating but we are nearly there.

“The challenge that we set the group was to stress Clifton and to put them under pressure from anywhere on the park.

“I think we did that. If you ask Clifton I’m sure they will know that they have been in a game.

“We have to convert the chances that we get when get in there and limit the opposition when they get theirs.

“When we spoke in the huddle afterwards we said that we are a top half side. It’s just that the league doesn’t show that at the moment.

“What we have to do when we play teams in the lower half, is we have to assert ourselves and show that we are a top half side.  When we do that we will get our wins and move up the table.”

Last season Clifton rattled up 121 points in the two matches between the clubs but Bournville’s defence has improved immeasurably under the tutelage of former Scotland centre Alex Grove.

Three times in the first-half Clifton opted to run kickable penalties when they were only five points in front and on each occasion Bournville’s defence held firm.

“We were organised, we were set. Alex Grove has got the team fully knowing the system and what we want to do,” Price said.

“We took their space quite well but, ultimately, we have still conceded 27 points at home. We need to have bigger shots in our defensive set. If we have that we get on the front foot and from that we will get field position and we will have the ascendancy.”

Bournville were also sharp in attack both from close-range, with number eight Jonjo Fanning rumbling over from two five metres scrums, and further out.

A patient and sustained attack was finished by Sam Wilson while his centre partner Sam Grimshaw scored the try of the afternoon with a brilliant individual score in which he toyed with Clifton’s defence before he pressed the accelerator and powered clear.

With fly-half Taylor, on loan from Gloucester and watched here by England Under-20s coach Mark Mapletoft, pulling the strings Clifton responded with a brace of tries from left wing Tomos Ormsby and another from right wing Zak Hamid.

Hatch had less distance to cover but it was his try that settled the outcome and secured Clifton’s try bonus point.