Another batch of reports which have kindly
Caernarfon 21 v Dolgellau 10
Following report kindly supplied by Caernarfon RFC.
The fully committed opening exchanges during this match should have led to a highly entertaining game. Sadly for the Cofis this did not materialise as a number of wrong options were chosen but credit must also be given to Dolgellau who showed stubborn resistance throughout.
An early spell of good ball retention saw prop Aron Hughes break out of defence to set up a good attacking position from which Kelvin Morris was able to cross the try line but not ground. However from the resulting scrum the ball was fed quickly out to the wing for Dylan Gwyn to score, albeit taking the corner flag with him. Morris duly added a fine touchline conversion.
With half an hour played both sides were reduced to fourteen men with a yellow card issued to the home side for foul play and sadly a red for Dolgellau's backrower for retaliating. The game prior and after this one off incident was thankfully clean and sportsmanlike.
Dolgellau remained as committed as ever and having found gaps in the home defence from one such charge they were granted a penalty that standoff and captain Gerwyn Thomas was able to convert. Dylan Gwyn nearly extended the Cofi lead as half time approached but was denied by an excellent cover tackle by flanker Berwyn Hughes.
Caernarfon hoped to use the wind to their advantage at the beginning of the second half but Dolgellau attacked with ball in hand. Fullback Dion Jones gained valuable meters with centre Dylan Evans constantly crossing the gain line. It was this combination that brought Dolgellau into the danger zone and from a forward rumble it was prop Huw Emyr that emerged with ball in hand to drive over and touchdown. Thomas added the extras to give Dolgellau a three point cushion.
The Cofis had squandered a number of possible chances before they were finally able to gain a stranglehold on the match.
One possible grounding following a five meter scrum was not given and three charges by Dylan Gwyn, Liam Leung and Iolo Hughes were also very close. However from a lineout drive and feed into mid-field Andrew Williams collected at pace and was able to stretch his arm beyond the try line to score. Kelvin Morris was accurate with the boot to slot over the conversion.
With ten minutes to go the Cofis finally put daylight between themselves and the visitors when from another backline move the timely intervention of Number eight Rhys Evans ensured a clear path to the try line for yet another converted try. Time ran out for Dolgellau to counter and the fourth try also eluded the Cofis.
COBRA 20 v Dinbych 6
Dinbych falter against organised COBRA - match report kindly supplied by Denbigh RFC.
Dinbych's 1st XV headed to Meifod on a blustery afternoon, looking to gain valuable league points and keep relegation at bay.
Dinbych, having selected a blend of experienced and younger players in their squad to try and move away from the trapdoor of the division, were generally a match for their mid Wales opponents. However, momentary lapses of concentration and sloppy play at the beginning and end of the 1st half were to prove their undoing.
Dinbych, with a strong wind in their faces during the opening half, kept the ball tight through a myriad of phases, until COBRA, with their first touch of the ball, capitalized on a loose kick down field which saw their right wing Sion Wyn Williams run it back for a fine individual try, converted by fly half Llew Williams.
There followed counter attacking play from both sides, with Dinbych’s Sion Rowlands at full back a constant threat, looking for the gaps, but heavily marked throughout. A lack of composure in ball retention and aimless kicks on at least two occasions, when the ball should have been kept in hand saw the game restarted from the COBRA 22m when Dinbych were in good attacking positions.
Other indiscretions during the half allowed their opponents two easy penalties from in front of the posts. Although the likes of Gavin Rizzi and Gareth Jones looked lively throughout the half and Garin Roberts showed glimpses of attacking intent, the half finished disappointingly for Dinbych, with COBRA’s speedy backs moving the ball wide for their fullback Richard Jones to cut back and score under the posts.
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With their opponents having scored 20 unanswered points at the interval, Dinbych showed more positive intent from the very start of the 2nd half. Injuries to Dafydd Jones and Rizzi allowed youngsters Tom Eden and Dafydd Evans to make their senior debuts in the pack. Their strong performances offered plenty to build on for next season.
In the 2nd half, Dinbych provided more deception and flair in midfield, with attacks not as predictable as in the first half. Aidyn Jones made many half breaks and put in some bone-crunching tackles. Dion Howatson playing his first game of the season, though not back to full fitness, nevertheless carried hard and kicked well. With ground conditions worsening, there were errors from both sides and ball carelessly lost in contact. Also both suffered from their inability to regularly secure their own line-out ball, which resulted in a series of drives down field from Dinbych’s Gareth Price and Warren Edwards.
With Garin Roberts having successfully kicked two long range penalties early in the half, Dinbych pulled out all the stops to try and gain at least a losing bonus point with a converted try. However, it was not to be as COBRA’s efficient and accurate man-marking kept all Dinbych’s attacks at bay.
This Saturday Dinbych play fellow strugglers Bro Ffestiniog at home with a 2.30 pm kick off.
Ferndale 24 v Llandrindod Wells 17
Following report kindly supplied by Llandrindod Wells RFC.
Llandrindod travelled to the Rhondda looking to blow out the cobwebs following the 6 Nations break and an inexperienced team put in a decent showing before coming up just short but returned home with a losing bonus point!
Persistent rain had made the surface very slippery and the scoring was opened by a penalty from Llandrindod hooker and stand in kicker Aled Price.
Ferndale replied with an individual try from their ever dangerous scrum half which was converted and followed not long after with an unconverted try by the outside centre.
This spurred the visitors into life and led by skipper for the day Steve Boore and number 8 Dan Oakley territory was gained with a 5m scrum awarded. Llandrindod's young front row of Sam Powell, Aled Price and Kyle Stevens supported by Lee James and Jamie Price and the back row, marched their counterparts backwards towards their own line resulting in the referee awarding a penalty try which was converted by Price.
This was followed by an interception try on the stroke of half time scored by Jordan Phillips who ran 80 metres to score under the posts, Aled Price converting again to put Llandrindod 17-12 at half time.
In the second half Ferndale had the advantage of the strong wind. They spent the first 20 minutes of the half camped in Llandrindod territory as the wind meant the visitors couldn't clear their lines.
Impressive defence especially by flankers Jason Pritchard and Jonny Davies and centres Steve Boore and Andrew Hunter kept Ferndale at bay until an unconverted try from their Flanker brought the teams level. Back came Llandrindod and after a couple of impressive rolling mauls in the Ferndale 22 a try looked likely when a pass was intercepted by the Ferndale full back who ran the length of the pitch and despite being pursued by winger Martin Davies scored under the posts for the winning try.
This was a brave effort by a Llandrindod team shorn of most of their farming contingent due to lambing commitments, but they still sit top of the league ahead of next Saturday's home game against Sully Sports, a potential promotion decider.
(Report written by Jonathan Duggan)
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