Cinderford Match Report

Cinderford 48 Cheltenham North 5 (County Cup)

Cheltenham North produced a spirited display, particularly in the first-half, and made Cinderford earn every point.

Ultimately, the home side's superior fitness was key as they raced clear in the second-half.

It took Cinderford half-an-hour to break down a stubborn Cheltenham defence. They eventually scored through flanker Chris McNeil from a line-out catch-and-drive.

Right on half-time, hooker Nigel Matthews crossed for another unconverted touchdown.

Halftime : Cinderford 10 Cheltenham North 0

McNeil scored his second try early in the second-half, then club captain Isaiah Young finished off another catch-and-drive move by crashing over the North line. Tristan Roberts converted.

Cinderford added further tries through Toby Wilson and Dewi Scourfield, but the visitors gained some consolation with an unconverted try from Matt Dean.

Cinderford stretched their margin of victory with two more tries in the closing minutes of the match.

Half-backs Tristan Roberts and Sean Lynn were the scorers, with Roberts converting both.

Cinderford gave a number of fringe first XV players an opportunity, including Jake Meadows, Chris Williams, Ben Morgan, Adesina Obileye, Lloyd Stapleton and Curtis Cunningham.

Coach Peter Glanville said: "It was an opportunity to look at a few guys and it went well.

"It wasn't a walk in the park, but we never expected it to be. They frustrated us, killing our ball, and it stopped our continuity.

"In the second-half, though, we got on top and scored some nice tries."

This Saturday, Cinderford host Clifton in the league and the director of rugby is expecting another tough game. However, he believes his young players have matured a lot since last year and now know the standards required to do well in the National Leagues.

He said: "We are second in the league but that's because certain results have gone our way.

"It's not a fluke that we're up there, but it's very tight, if we lose a game or two we could easily go down to fourth or fifth."