A round up of match reports from games involving the clubs of North and Mid Wales.
Llangefni 20 v Nant Conwy 50
Following report kindly supplied by Nant Conwy RFC.
On a wet pitch after heavy overnight and early morning rain, Nant entered the pitch with six changes from the side that beat Ystalyfera a week earlier. Indeed, Llangefni gave the vistors a ‘kick in the backside’ in the 1st minute when Gethin squirmed over for a try. The conversion attempt failed this time.
If Nant had any pre-conception and ideas that this match would be an easy one, this score brought them back down to earth. The forwards began taking more and more possession whilst ‘picking up and going’. It was no surprise when Lock, Tom went over for his side’s first try after 9 minutes. After a pass to winger Jack was adjudged to be ‘forward’ when he was clean through, Llangefni were awarded a set scrum. For the only time in the match, they lost this scrum and Guto, crum Half kicked the ball down the left side again and Jack this time out paced everyone to score a try under the posts giving Arthur a simple task in converting.
Unfortuantely, Nant’s Hooker, Ifan, seriously injured his leg after play re-started and whilst everyone on the pitch wished him well, all present were relieved to hear after the match, that he had not fractured his leg. This injury put a damper on both sides’ play for a while but, towards the end of the first half, Flanker, Gethin, did what he does best in cleaning up after forward drives and touches down for tries. He actually scored another similar try in the second half. The first half ended when Richard reduced the arrears when converting a penalty to give a half time score of 8 –19.
After continious pressure by the visitors for the first 10 minutes of the second half, Nant were awarded a penalty on the Llangefni ‘22’. Captain, Robin, urged Arthur to kick towards the goal as the priority for nant was to win the match. Arthur successfully completed the task.
The ‘4 try Bonus Point’ arrived when Gethin scored his second try which was converted by Arthur. Possibly, the try of the match arrived on the three quarter way through the match when right winger, Carwyn Owen, completed an excellent passing move by the Back line and he out paced the home defence on the outside to touch down in the corner. Arthur completed a difficult conversion from the right touchline.
The next score was a deserved try for Centre Morgan who worked tirelessly in both attack and defence throughout the entire match. Arthur again turned this try into a seven pointer with 14 minutes of play left. Nant now decided to use most of their ‘bench’ players to give some of their more experienced players a ‘rest’ before other end of season matches.
After some pressure by Llangefni on the left, they scores a deserved try through Dion with 7 minutes left. Replacement Scrum Half, Cai,took advantage when he out witted the home defence completely to run over for a try which was converted this time by Full Back, Sion. The final scores arrived after 4 minutes of ‘extra time’ when Huw hurled himself over for a try that was converted by replacement Scrum Half for Llangefni, Carwyn. This gave a final score of 20 – 30.
Nant now go on to next week’s home League match at Pant Carw against Ruthin with kick off at 2.30 p.m.
Trefn y sgorio a'r sgorwyr / Scoring Sequence and scorers:
1m 5 – 0 Gethin Andrews, 9m: 5 – 5 TOM OLIVER, 14m: 5 – 10 JACK MORIARTY & 5 – 12 ARTHUR LENNON, 37m 5 – 17 GETHIN VAUGHAN & 5 – 19 ARTHUR LENNON, 41m: 8 – 19 Richard Foulkes
50m: 8 – 22 ARTHUR LENNON, 57m: 8 – 27 GETHIN VAUGHAN & 8 -29 ARTHUR LENNON, 60m: 8 – 34 CARWYN DAVIES & 8 – 36 ARTHUR LENNON, 66m: 8 – 41 MORGAN DAFYDD & 8 – 43 ARTHUR LENNON, 73m: 13 – 43 Dion Oliver, 79m: 13 – 48 CAI JONES & 13 – 50 SION PRINGLE, 84m: 18 – 50 Huw Jones & 20 – 50 Carwyn Milburn
Dyfarnwr / Referee: Mr Dylan Llŷr Jones, Pwllheli
Ar gae gwlyb wedi glaw trwm tros nos a chyda Nant gyda chwe newid o’r tîm a drechodd Ystalyfera wythnos yn ôl, cafwyd ‘cic yn y pen ôl’ fel ag y dywedir ar lafar gwlad, yn y funud gyntaf pan sgoriodd Llangefni’n y gornel chwith. Aflwyddiannus fu’r ymgais i drosi. Dyma’n union beth oedd yr ymwelwyr ei angen rhag meddwl fod y gêm am fod yn un hawdd. Dechreuodd y blaenwyr ennill y bêl a’i chario ymlaen yn gyson ac nid oedd yn syndod gweld yr ail reng, Tom yn plymio trosodd i roi sgôr gyfartal wedi 9 munud. Wedi pas ymlaen i’r asgellwr Jack roi sgrym i’r tîm cartref, enillwyd y bêl yn erbyn y pen a chiciwyd unwaith eto i’r chwith a’r tro hwn, nid oedd yn bosibl dal Jack wrth iddo redeg i dirio dan y pyst. Tasg cymharol hawdd oedd i Arthur sgorio’i gyntaf o’i bum trosiad. Bu i’r bachwr, Ifan, frifo’i goes yn y symudiad nesaf ac ni chymrodd fwy o ran yn y chwarae. Dymunir y gorau i Ifan ac mae pawb yn falch o wybod na fu iddo dorri’i goes yn y digwyddiad. Dilwnwyd y digwyddiad gan gyfnod o chwarae diogel gyda’r naill chr na’r llall am fentro gormod. Ond, tua diwedd yr hanner, sgoriodd Gethin, y blaen asgellwr y cyntaf o’i ddau gais wrth ddilyn y chwarae’n gelfydd. Trodd Arthur y cais yn un gwerth seithbwynt. Yn amser ychwanegol yr hanner cyntaf, bu i Richard leihau’r fantais gyda chic gosb i roi sgôr o 8 -19 ar yr hanner.
Wedi pwyso di baid gan yr ymwelwyr am 10 munud cyntaf yr ail hanner, cosbwyd Llangefni ar y ‘22’ a phenderfynodd Arthur fynd am dri phwynt gan mai ennill y gêm oedd prif flaenoriaeth y dydd. Daeth y ‘pwynt bonws’ am sgorio pedwar cais pan ail adroddodd Gethin ei gamp o’r hanner cyntaf trwy ddilyn y chwarae a phlymio trosodd am gais pan ddaeth cyfle ag Arthur yn ychwanegu’r ddeubwynt. Cyrhaeddodd, o bosibl, cais y êm dri chwarter ffordd drwy’r chwarae wrth i’r asgellwr da orffen symudiad ardderchog gan y cefnwyr trwy wibio heibio’r holl amddiffyn. Tipyn o gamp oedd i Arthur drosi o’r asgell dde bell! Yna, cyrhaeddodd cais haeddiannol i’r canolwr, Morgan, a aeth trwy waith caled yn amddiffyn ac ymosod fel bo angen trwy’r ornest. Arthur yn trosi unwaith eto gyda 14 munud yn weddill. Dyma’r adeg y bu i Nant roi’r mwyafrif o’u heilyddion ymlaen. Wedi pwyso tipyn ar y chwith, cafodd Llangefni gais llwyddiannus trwy Dion gyda 7 munud yn weddill. Ond nid oedd Nant wedi gorffen eto. Manteisiodd yr eilydd, Cai ar gyfle i dorri trwy amddiffyn y tîm cartref a charlamu am gais a droswyd gan y cefnwr Sion y tro hwn gan fod Arthur wedi cael ei eilyddio iddo gael peth seibiant cyn y gemau sydd i ddod yng ngheddill y tymor. Wedi 4 munud o amser ychwanegol, cyrhaeddodd sgoriau olaf y gêm wrth i Huw hyrddio trosodd am gais a’r eilydd o hannerwr, Carwyn, drosi a rhoi sgôr derfynol o 20 – 50.
Wythnos nesaf, wynebir Rhuthun gartref yn y gynghrair gyda’r gic gyntaf am 2.30 o’r gloch.
**
Canlyniad arall / Another Result:
TEIRW NANT - 59 vDinbych / Denbigh (2) - 0
TEIRW NANT YN BENCAMPWYR ADRAN 3 Y GOGLEDD AR GYFER TYMOR 2017 / 2018
TEIRW NANT ARE THE DIVISION 3 NORTH CHAMPIONS FOR THE 2017 / 2018 SEASON
Sgorwyr TEIRW NANT scorers:
Ceisiau / Tries: GWION ELLIS – JONES (2). CARWYN OWEN (2), LLŶR JONES, MAREDUDD PYRS, GARI FÔN & ELLIS FÔN
Trosiadau / Conversions: GWION ELLIS – JONES (8)
Cic Gosb / Penalty Kick: GWION ELLIS – JONES
Llongyfarchiadau i bawb sydd ynghlwm â’r tîm
Congratulations to all involved with the team.
[Ifor Glyn]
Menai Bridge 24 v Mold 2nds 15
Following report kindly supplied by Menai Bridge RFC.
Bridge secured a bonus point in the first half of this rearranged match, thanks to a brace of tries rom prop Harri Williams, one from Lee McGrath and evergreen veteran Dave Williams. Daniel Hughes, in an unacustomed kicking role, slotted two conversions.
When the first half finished Bridge were hoping to pile on the pressure and extend their 24 to nil lead. Mold however were reading a different script. They kept Bridge scoreless for the whole half and scored three tries.
If they couldn't score in the first half they found their way in the second. Utilising a catch and drive from close quarter line outs , yielded a pair of tries for Tom Davies and one for Oliver Heald, all scored in similar fashion.
However an epic comeback was not to be, as Bridge closed the match with a 9 point lead, denying Mold any bonus points.
Ruthin 10 v Bala 16
Following report kindly supplied by Ruthin RFC.
A good deal of gardening had to be done on the Ruthin pitches to make them playable after a considerable amount of rain on Saturday morning but despite the conditions Ruthin and Bala put on an entertaining game.
Bala had to withstand a good deal of early pressure from the Blues and went 3-0 behind with a penalty goal from fly half Nathan Jones after 12 minutes.
The visitors though were always dangerous and after a period of attacking play and a missed penalty goal went ahead with a try from prop Tomos Hughes converted by fly half Owain Aled.
The Blues returned to the attack and regained the lead with a try from flanker Alex Pope converted by Nathan with a few minutes of the first half to go.
Again play swung to the home side’s half and the Blues had to defend well to prevent a further score before the whistle blew to end an evenly matched first half with Ruthin just ahead at 10-7.
Shortly after the break the visitors evened up the score at 10-10 with a penalty goal and then after a further five minutes the game was stopped because of an injury to a Ruthin player.
After the restart Bala went 6 points ahead with 2 penalty goals. After defending well against a concerted Bala attack the Blues returned to Bala’s 22.
For the last 15 minutes Ruthin mounted wave after wave of attack and although barely more than 5 yards from the try line for much of that time were repelled by Bala’s defence albeit desperately at times.
Eventually the ball was cleared to midfield and the whistle blew for full time at 16-10 to Bala.
Despite the Blues fine attacking play in the last quarter they had to be satisfied with a losers’ bonus point.
Llangefni 20 v Nant Conwy 50 - the Gefni report
Following report kindly supplied by Llangefni RFC.
Table toppers Nant Conwy put on a masterclass of 15 man rugby, as their superior fitness and all round pace led to a final 7-3 try count in their favour. It was only 19-8 at the break, but they pulled away confidently in the 3rd quarter, before being limited to a 14-12 advantage in the final quarter.
From the k.o. Cefni went through the phases as their forwards punched the midfield holes that allowed Gethin Andrews to squeeze in at the corner. Cefni spilled the k.o., and from the scrum they launched their winger into the wide channel. He was stopped but numerous phases later Nant were level after Tom Oliver crossed. Nant`s halves were kicking probingly behind the Cefni back 3, and one such kick allowed Jack Moriarty to regather and cross near the posts. Lennon added the extras as he did for 6 of the tries.
After Gethin Andrews had saved a try when Nant kick chased over the Cefni line, the visitors got their third try, which was a superb example of supporting the ball carrier. Cefni made 3 last ditch tackles, and each time there was an offload. Gethin Vaughan being the beneficiary on this occasion: 19-3. Cefni, with Rich Foulkes and Greg Horsman to the fore , made many line breaks but Nant always recovered quickly to extinguish the threat. Foulkes turned kicker on half time to give that 8-19 half time score.
The 3rd quarter saw Nant at their best as Cefni errors and infringements kept the visitors on the front foot for long periods. After Lennon had added a penalty for 22-8, Nant stepped up a gear and the bonus point try came via Gethin Vaughan, so 29-8. Cefni then lost their attacking talisman Greg Horsman with a serious hamstring problem, thus weakening their defence as well. When Cefni missed a one on one tackle in midfield Nant profited with a long break upfield, which culminated in a try for centre Carwyn Davies. 36-8 with 20 minutes to play.
To Cefni`s credit they dug deep as Will Bown rallied his pack and made sure they took the game to Nant again. Nant got the next try when they were awarded a penalty which they kicked to the corner. After driving the maul, the ball was moved wider for Morgan Dafydd to cross. The penalty count hurt Cefni, but they finally got some reward when 2nd row Dion Oliver barged over from close range after minutes of pummelling the Nant line.
Dion Oliver was then guilty of spilling ball in attack, allowing Nant to spin the ball through the hands until a final pop pass on the wide outside ,undid the Cefni cover again as Sion Pringle crossed. Lennon`s accuracy with the boot brought up the 50. However , Cefni had the last word, as once again the forwards`powerful carries allowed sub Huw Jones to storm over from close range. Carwyn Milburn`s kick was the last action of the game.
Next week, Cefni will hope to break their 5 match losing sequence when they welcome Mold to Cae Smyrna.
Llandudno 27 v Caernarfon 10
Following report kindly supplied by Caernarfon RFC.
Llandudno by virtue of a strong opening ten minutes and a collective second wind for the final ten took the spoils in this league encounter. Caernarfon on the other hand will gain some confidence in the knowledge that they competed manfully even though their set pieces weren't functioning well.
Llandudno's Connor White upheld the art of hooking from yesteryear with two clean strikes against the head within the opening few minutes, thus setting the forward momentum that Tudno were able to capitalise upon. A forward rumble from a line out eventually saw flanker Bobby Davies pick up charge over after seven minutes. The lead was extended within three minutes when good inter-passing at pace along the tramlines saw scrum half Byron Davies collect the final pass to crash over. Both conversions on this occasion drifted wide.
Wing Jack Hughes nearly extended the lead at the corner flag but was bundled into touch inches short. Caernarfon were able to repel the charge from the resulting penalty and as a result appeared to gain confidence, becoming more aggressive at the breakdown and the tackling of flanker Mike Downey inspiring his team mates. One secured scrum ball was fed to stand in stand off Iolo Hughes who chipped over the on rushing defence, won the chase to hack on and collected off his toes before extending triumphantly over the try line. He duly brushed himself off to add the conversion.
During this period Caernarfon appeared to be the fitter outfit but Llandudno backs Lloyd Evans and Ryan Pike were proving to be a handful often breaking the first up tackle and causing confusion amongst the Cofi ranks.
The second half followed much of the same pattern with both teams cancelling each other out. One break by prop Lewis Jones put Llandudno on the front foot and Ryan Pike duly added three points from the tee after a high tackle infringement. Iolo Hughes responded in kind some ten minutes later to revert to the three point loosing margin. Caernarfon were in the ascendancy for the next fifteen minutes with good offloading and support play bringing the Cofis into the danger zone but the final telling passage could not be construed. Rhys Evans and Armando Morgan were particularly impressive during this period in terms of positional sense and handling skills.
However one long range clearance after thirty minutes of the second half brought Llandudno back into contention. A loose ball was hacked on and with more footballing skills and pace Ryan Pike won the chase to ground beyond the whitewash. He also added the conversion to stretch the advantage to ten points meaning that the Cofis were now adrift of a possible losing bonus point.
On attempting to mount another telling attack the ball was lost and centre Ed Weston seized the opportunity to burst through midfield and feed Ryan Pike, who had remained in support and consequently had a clear run in to score and again convert for a personal points tally of seventeen.
The match was sadly curtailed by mutual consent a few minutes short of the full eighty when Caernarfon fullback Elis Roberts suffered an unfortunate injury.
The two teams are due to meet twice again during the rest of the season, one league and one cup final encounter and it may be that not too much could be read into this particular match as far as predicting the possible outcome of those encounters are concerned.
Llandudno 27 v Caernarfon 10
Following report kindly supplied by Llandudno RFC.
The Llandudno historical winning run continued at Maesdu Road, and with a number of postponed matches to be played, they are setting there sightss to finish third in Division 1 North.
Within ten minutes of play they were ten points up having put the visitors under considerable pressure within there own half.
The first of there tries came from a sustained attack involving forwards and backs, with Byron Davies crossing the try line. They kept up the offensive with similar support play, and it was Byron Davies that touched down for the second of his two tries.
The visitors scored there only try of the match in this first half, with Iolo Hughes getting the touch down, and also adding two more points from the conversion.
Llan as they have done so in previous matches, took more control of the second half keeping the visitors on the back foot. They started to use there pack to great effect in loose play, with pick up and drive. Ryan Pike gained the next three points from a penalty conversion, and this was followed up,when from a kick ahead he was at hand to take the final try scoring pass, which he also converted.
The visitors had a number of opportunities to put points on the board, but a resolute defence denied them scoring.
The match now reached the final quarter of play, and it was that man again Ryan Pike that sealed the win,when quickly released ball from a line out was used at pace in the back
division, with him latching on to the final pass to cross the for the bonus winning try, and then converting his own try, completing this historical home win.
The visitors score of this half was three points from a penalty by Iolo Hughes.
Match Report by Howie.
Next Saturday at home to Bethesda KO 2.30.
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