Clevedon knocked out in the semi-finals

Bristol Harlequins 7 ptsClevedon 0 ptsTHIS Somerset Cup semi-final turned out to be a dour struggle from first whistle to last.Clevedon started brightly but Harlequins constantly applied pressure and continually put Clevedon under the cosh. They disrupted Clevedon's play and for a team from two divisions lower took the game by the scruff of the neck.Both sides had tries disallowed in the first half and the Clevedon scrum was always under pressure which caused problems at eight and nine.The Clevedon line-out worked well first half with Ben Chase jumping well. Clevedon had flashes of good running rugby, but either the final pass was poor or the handling was atrocious. The second half showed Clevedon on the defensive for most of the time. The scrum was completely destroyed and questions need to be asked about selection. The line-out fell apart and Clevedon had little possession.Harlequins were up for it more than Clevedon and it was only stout defence by Clevedon that kept them at bay. Clevedon had a try disallowed and even dropped the ball going over the line, and hit a post with a penalty, so it was not to be.In the dying minutes of injury time Harlequins scored a well engineered try which was converted to win the game. The better side on the day won while certain Clevedon players thought they only had to turn up to win.With all players available for selection this week, including the players who have returned from afar, heads may roll.Next Saturday, Clevedon play Paignton at home, kick-off 2.30pm.