National Two South

Clifton 30

PLAYER/COACH Duncan Bell had the consolation of scoring a 73rd minute try at Clifton, but there was little else for him to shout about as his lacklustre side was well beaten.

Tony Wicks kicked a first half penalty and Curtis Russell dropped a goal, but Clifton dominated from start to finish with tries from Will Davis, Paul Fincken and James Golledge, plus 15 points from the boot of Ben Roberts.

Team manager Colin Henderson admitted he was disappointed by the showing.

He said: "I thought we were moving forward in the previous couple of games but the scrum was not as solid as it has been.

"I thought we looked more solid when Duncan Bell and Dan Allison came on, they calmed things down.

"We weren't overwhelmed territorially but we didn't create much and we didn't help ourselves by making mistakes."

It's a big fortnight for Lydney – who host Chinnor this Saturday, then go to Taunton.

"We definitely need to get something from those games," said Henderson.

The one plus for Lydney was the return of former first XV skipper Will Jones, who shone after coming on as a replacement. Jones joined Stourbridge during the summer after previously being announced as Lydney's captain for the 2012/13 season.

"We've not really gone into what happened but it's great to have him back," said Henderson.

"Duncan is still talking to other people but it's difficult to get people in at this time of the year. We've got a lot of new players and it's a learning process, but losing can become a habit just like winning."

Lydney: Tony Wicks, Chris Holder, Josh Innes, Danny Chui, Lewis Beer (Alex Hall 41), Curtis Russell, Jason Graham, Ben Lewis (Dan Allison 70), Jake Fields, Andy Jarrett (Duncan Bell 64), Dave Bennett, Pete Butcher, Ryan Hall (Jim McMahon 53), Tim Longton (Will Jones 48), Matt Taylor (capt).