Paviors RFC

This weekend Pavs took on Sheffield RUFC in the latest round of the Midlands Premier. Regular supporters of the club could not remember if the two clubs have ever faced each other at 1^st xv level, so this particular game had a high degree of interest for the very large crowd that had gathered as part of Paviors Ladies Day and to support the boys.

 On a cold wintry afternoon, Sheffield opened affairs by playing a territorial game, pinning Pavs back by astute kicking in an attempt to quieten the crowd and dispel Pavs early energy. This proved successful as the away side went into a 7-0 lead after ten minutes. With their normal obduracy, Pavs battled back into the game, when after a series of plays and a wonderful pass by skipper Doug Billam, wing Alex Barton crossed the line. George Billam added the extras to level the score at 7-7 after sixteen minutes. For the next fifteen minutes Pavs faced wave after wave of Sheffield attack. Resolute defence kept them out for almost all of this period until finally a penalty was conceded on thirty one minutes to push Sheffield into the lead at 10-7. As the half came to an end, unfortunately Pavs failed to clear to touch, and from the resulting misplaced kick Sheffield moved the ball wide before scoring a well taken try in the corner to further extend their lead to 17-7.

Following the break, honours were shared until a penalty afforded Sheffield the opportunity to kick into the corner and use this as an opportunity to put themselves into a confident lead at 24-7. On fifty five minutes and from a successful lineout, Pavs moved the ball swiftly through the backs with centre Tom Winning finally going over to narrow the lead to 24-12. After sixty two minutes, Sheffield re-established the scoreboard lead to 29-12 with a try in the corner. Characteristically, Pavs kept in the game with Tom Winning again converting pressure and touching down near the posts. Billam G added the extras to bring the score to 29-19 after sixty four minutes. Pavs tried their hardest to further close the gap with a good deal of vim and vigour. Unfortunately, this resulted in a loose ball  being snapped up by Sheffield and well used to finish the scoring at 34-19.

For Pavs, this was another epic battle with a side currently in second spot in the league. Pavs have been described as, “resilient”, “obdurate” and “competitive” by past reviewers and they reveal these qualities in spades. They are also gradually acquiring the experience to perform at this level. Putting the two aspects together in the ensuing weeks will inevitably allow them to progress in this league. Onwards ………………………………      

Nige Youl

Team Manager