Mat Kendrick joins the all-conquering Cleobury army on a nerve-tingling semi-final trip to the capital.
London Exiles 14, Cleobury Mortimer 15
CLEOBURY'S Twickenham final opponents, Dorking, beware! The Mortimer men's not-so-secret weapon threatens to be even stronger come April 9.
The 300 vocal villagers that helped heave the winning try over the line in Saturday's scintillating semi-final could be nearer to 1,000 when an even larger corner of Cleobury decamps to the home of rugby in just over a month's time.
There's no doubt that skipper Paul Harding and his players deserve the plaudits for guaranteeing the village the biggest day in its sporting history.
But the growing band of Love Lane supporters have also played a massive part in the record Powergen Junior Vase run which has put Cleobury Mortimer on the map.
The pulsating path to Twickenham has captured the imagination of the locals to such an extent that they outnumbered their hosts by three-to-one when descending on South West London last weekend.
And the rousing reception given to Harding and co by their adoring public was crucial in delivering a day-out they have only just dared to dream of.
With a showpiece outing at rugby HQ up for grabs the last four clash at London Exiles would always come down to a battle of heart and desire.
And Cleobury proved once again that those are qualities they have by the bucket-load with a glorious grandstand finish to win the match.
From the off they set about their Surrey One opponents and richly deserved the early lead given to them by second row Jamie Taylor's pushover try, with Allan Shields adding the extras.
In blustery conditions with the wind behind them that opening score was a product of a simple kick to the corner, resulting in a lineout that was safely gathered.
It was a tactic Cleobury would have done well to repeat for the rest of the first half but rather than booting for touch, all too often they tried to run the ball to safety.
It invited pressure and led to some desperate and determined defending which was just about keeping Exiles at bay until midway through the first half when the London team hit back.
After a series of back division moves forced Mortimer onto the back foot, Exiles right winger Andy Hulme wriggled free to crash over in the corner with John Barker converting a difficult kick against the wind from near the touchline to level the scores.
With the stiff breeze behind them in the first half Cleobury needed to enter the interval with some kind of advantage to give them any chance of second half success against the elements.
And after a couple of scares in their own 22, Shields gave them a slender 10-7 lead when his 30-metre penalty found its target with the aid of a kind deflection off the upright.
A mixture of relief and trepidation filled the travelling fans - along with the pre-match pints they had supped in the nearby Red Lion pub and the cans and bottles they were swigging on the sidelines to calm their nerves.
The players had to rely on their own spirits and were given a stirring half-time team-talk by joint player coaches Tony Heap and Willie Bache to take control of their own fate during the remaining 40 minutes.
Cleobury got off to the worst possible start when Shields was guilty of trying to trick rather than kick his way out of trouble and he was duly punished as James Horrocks went over and Barker converted to put the hosts 14-10 up.
The tension among the Mortimer supporters was palpable but while the players had the conditions and scoreline against them their fans were still well and truly behind them, prompting an inspirational recovery.
They spent virtually the rest of the game camped in the Exiles' half, pushing and probing for the opening that could crank their all-conquering cup run to the next level.
"If at first you don't succeed, try, try, try again" was the Mortimer motto as the Cleobury fans willed the ball over the line.
Credit to Exiles for holding out for so long, desperately dealing with five-metre scrum after five-metre scrum and numerous pick up and drives and lineouts any way they could.
But you can't dabble with destiny and the glorious winning try by man-of-the-match Paul Hulland has only served to strengthen the growing feeling that maybe, just maybe Cleobury's name is on the cup this year.
The Mortimer men were fearing further frustration when yet another rolling maul edged towards their stubborn opponents' line as injury time beckoned.
But the scenes when Hulland forced the ball down and match official Tim Miller signalled the winning try will live long in the memory of everybody of a Cleobury persuasion.
Shields pulled the subsequent kick wide but it didn't matter, Cleobury had won and were heading for the biggest party the village has ever known.
At least until Sunday, April 9, that is!
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