Clifton revenge as Lambert seals it

By JOHN WHITE

Dings… 13

Clifton… 22

CLIFTON were deserved winners in the Bristol derby, outscoring their Dings counterparts by four tries to two at a packed Shaftesbury Park.

They gained ample revenge for a 17-11 defeat by Crusaders in September, and their one successful conversion attempt in the 75th minute denied Dings a losing bonus point.

It was all Clifton in the first half, but they were unable to make the most of their ample possession and territory.

That was until centre Chris Levesley crossed on 30 minutes, but it was 5-5 at half-time when Dings wing Brad Doggett latched on to a neat chip from Luke Arscott to level things up.

Clifton continued to call the tune early in the second half, with flanker Chris Rovery going over.

Their third try was a superb individual effort from former Dings scrum-half Mitch Spencer. The diminutive half-back spotted a gap down the blindside chipped over the covering defender, regathered and sprinted into the corner.

The momentum swung to Dings on the hour. Flyhalf Ben Bolster slotted a penalty before diving into the corner.

But a try in the 75th minute from wing Alex Lambert, converted by full-back Thomas Francis, secured the spoils for Clifton.