Tribute Counties Western North: Clifton 2nds 68pts, Wellington Chiefs 5pts
Injury-hit Wellington Chiefs were well beaten by a strong Clifton 2nds outfit but could take credit from a battling display which saw five players make their debuts.
Despite the final scoreline, Wellington certainly did not disgrace themselves against a classy home side and actually enjoyed the better of the early exchanges.
Clifton opened the scoring against the run of play with an unconverted try after 18 minutes, but the Chiefs hit back only three minutes later.
A well-worked move ended with Ben Hayman crossing for a try to level the scores at 5pts-5.
Unfortunately, an interception proved costly for Wellington as Clifton regained the lead with a converted try on 25 minutes.
From there, the home side began to take control and stretched their advantage with further scores as Wellington struggled to contain their increasingly potent attack.
Clifton led 40pts-5 at the interval and continued to dominate after the break, adding another converted try to extend their advantage.
With Wellington’s resources already stretched by a lengthy injury list, their task became even tougher when they were reduced to 13 players later in the contest.
Clifton took full advantage to run in further tries and complete a comprehensive victory.
It was a tough afternoon for the Chiefs but, against high-quality opposition, there were still positives to take from their efforts.
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