Under clear skies at Station Road, Clifton ran in eight tries in an absorbing, occasionally fractious contest against Leicester Lions, securing a valuable five-point haul at a crucial stage of the season.

The hosts began brightly. Sustained early pressure created space out wide and Ollie Stirling finished confidently in the corner, James McKinney adding the conversion. Leicester replied through Stubbs, a reminder that the afternoon would demand accuracy as well as ambition.

Clifton’s response was measured rather than frantic. Jay Evans, making his 50th appearance for the club, marked the milestone with a well-taken try after a purposeful carry close to the line. Throughout the afternoon his influence was evident not in theatrics, but in work rate: strong, direct runs over the gain line and a series of firm, technically sound tackles that repeatedly halted Leicester momentum. It was a typically industrious display, and a fitting one to earn him the Clifton Sausage Man of the Match award.

With confidence building, the Lavender & Black began to find rhythm. Stirling added his second following a sharp break, Harry Johnson crossed for the bonus-point try, and Zak Hamid finished neatly after slick handling across the back line. When Tom Anderson drove over from a well-organised maul — the forwards enjoying their afternoon’s labour — Clifton moved into a commanding 42–14 lead at the interval.

The second half proved tighter. Yellow cards disrupted flow and Leicester, to their credit, continued to compete with real intent. Hamid’s second, following a clever chip and chase, extended the advantage, and Johnson’s second try — converted excellently from the touchline by replacement Tom Quinlan — appeared to settle matters at 54–26.

Yet the Lions were not done. Late tries through Roberts, Natui, Metcalfe and Dawson, plus a final rolling maul effort, earned the visitors a bonus point and ensured a lively finale. Clifton, however, had already done the hard work. Eight tries, five points and a performance that blended attacking ambition with enough resilience to see the job through.

Next Up: Dings at Home – 21 March

Attention now turns to a fixture that needs little introduction. Clifton host local rivals Dings on 21 March, with both sides now level on league points — adding extra edge to an already fierce contest.

Lavender & Black v Blue & White. Same points. Local pride. It should be quite a day.

WANDERERS 40 - 14 TAUNTON II

A strong afternoon for the Wanderers, where they took advantage of the first sunny Saturday of the year to run out convincing winners against Taunton 2nd’s.

The match started cagily, with Clifton making some uncharacteristic errors in defence leading to a spell of pressure applied by Taunton. Strong tackling from Josh Hays and Conor Thomas in their own 22’ enabled them to withstand the pressure, before on the 20-minute mark the deadlock was broken.

An edge to edge set piece move saw Ollie Spragg beat his opposite man, before putting Harry Leigh through for a 1-1 with the fullback. A slick sidestep later and Clifton were under the posts.

From that point, Clifton never looked back – applying pressure in every area of the game, with Will Abel, Max McCarthy and Ben Ling all joining Harry on the scoresheet.

The highlight for the afternoon however, has to go to the debut’s from Alfie Raynard playing his first game of adult Rugby and Ian Benthall also making his 2nd team debut – both had key moments influencing the game in the 2nd half and will have an important role to play between now and the end of the season.

A spell of pressure by Taunton at the end of the game saw them pull back 2 tries, however the game was won and Clifton saw out a comfortable win.

MoM was Will Abel, for an assured performance at Full-Back – his linebreaks were key to diffusing any kicking pressure that Taunton applied and set up multiple tries.

MISFITS 48 - 22 DINGS CRUSADERS

Seeking to extend their unbeaten run since the turn of the New Year, Clifton Misfits travelled across the city to face Dings Warriors in the second instalment of this season’s Bristol derby in Counties 4 South. Having secured a convincing victory in the reverse fixture at Station Road, the prospect of a rare league double was firmly on the agenda — but Clifton knew a stern examination awaited them at Shaftesbury Park.

Head coach Mark Nichols named a largely unchanged forward pack following the 70-point demolition of Aretians. Ross Rochelle returned his place at prop, while fellow veteran Will Pomphrey stepped in to anchor the back of the scrum at No.8. There were changes in the backline: fellow veteran Alex Rumley lined up at inside centre, scrum-half Theo Mallock made his Misfits debut, and fan favourite Colt Isaac Simmonds earned his first start on the wing. In a strong show of youth development, Clifton fielded six Colts in the matchday squad, with Tom Archer and Joe Baggaley-Mott poised for their debuts from the bench.

Clifton made the perfect start. After just five minutes, Isaac Simmonds collected possession inside his own half and weaved his way 40 metres to finish superbly in the corner for a stunning opening try.

Dings responded with precision and power. A penalty kicked to the corner on 15 minutes allowed them to launch a driving lineout maul and level the scores at 5–5. Seven minutes later, history repeated itself as Clifton’s indiscipline handed the hosts another attacking platform. Dings reverted to their effective one-dimensional approach — kick to the corner and maul — to edge ahead 10–5.

Clifton, however, began to find fluency with ball in hand. On 29 minutes, fly-half Lewis Wakefield produced a sublime show-and-go to slice through the defence and score beneath the posts, adding the conversion himself to restore the lead at 10–12.

Momentum continued to swing the visitors’ way. Debutant scrum-half Theo Mallock showcased sharp footwork to dance through a fractured Dings defensive line for Clifton’s third try, again converted by Wakefield (10–19).

Yet the hosts refused to fade. A costly Clifton fumble over their own line on 37 minutes gifted Dings a simple score, narrowing the deficit to four points at the break (15–19).

With the contest finely poised, the opening exchanges after halftime were always likely to prove decisive — and it was Clifton who seized control emphatically.

Just two minutes after the restart, hooker Lochy Emery finished off a sweeping move to score out wide. Moments later, Simmonds struck again, gliding through a wave of defenders for his second of the afternoon, with Wakefield’s boot extending the lead to 15–31.

With the hosts stunned, the floodgates opened. On 49 minutes, colt debutant Tom Archer marked his first touch in senior rugby with a try, before Pomphrey powered through from 50 metres to cap a devastating 12-minute spell in which Clifton crossed four times (15–41). Dings had no answer to the visitors’ pace and width.

A team warning from the referee resulted in a yellow card for Mallock on 58 minutes, and Dings capitalised on the numerical advantage with a converted try on 67 minutes to make it 22–41.

Clifton had the final word. In the closing stages, another colt debutant, Joe Baggaley-Mott, dotted down after Pomphrey again had broken free and offloaded, to complete an outstanding team performance. Wakefield added his fourth conversion to seal a comprehensive 48–22 victory as the final whistle sounded.

Full Time: Dings Warriors 22 – 48 Clifton Misfits

It was a huge bonus-point win and a rare derby double for Clifton, ensuring that in Counties 4 at least Bristol is firmly Black & Lavender this season. More importantly, the Misfits’ unbeaten run in 2026 remains intact, underlining their credentials as genuine top four contenders.

Standout performances were found across the park. The half-back pairing of Mallock and Wakefield provided tempo and creativity, whilst centre Harry Heskin also looked sharp. Simmonds’ finishing and Pomphrey’s relentless carrying all combined to repeatedly stretch the Dings defence to breaking point.

The Thatcher’s Man of the Match award deservedly went to flanker Ravi Gedara, whose tireless carrying, line breaks and defensive work rate made him a constant thorn in Dings’ side throughout the afternoon.

Clifton now return to Station Road next week to host Bristol Barbarians, brimming with confidence after a statement derby triumph.

Tries:
Simmonds (2), Mallock, Wakefield, Emery, Archer, Pomphrey, Baggaley-Mott

Conversions:
Wakefield (4)

Photographs by Ian Clark