Some more great reports from games played at the weekend by the clubs of North and Mid Wales.
Y Bala 12 v Blaenau Ffestiniog 7
Following report kindly supplied by Bala RFC.
Mae’n ddiwedd tymor a phawb wedi blino ac yn llyfu eu clwyfau, ond be’ arall sy i’w ddisgwyl? Ma’ hon yn gêm fudur gyda chicio a brathu a defnyddio pob tacteg fel celwydd a thwyll i ennill y gêm. Ma’ rhagrith hefyd yn bwysig, yn enwedig yn y bar wedyn – pawb yn ymfalchïo yng nghreithiau’r frwydr ac yn curo cefnau ei gilydd ar ôl ffeit waedlyd.
Ond dyna ddigon am wleidyddiaeth! Er, ma’ gynnon ni ddiddordeb mewn gwleidyddiaeth, yn enwedig gwleidyddiaeth leol, a phwnc mawr y dydd ydi pa gorff ddylai fod yn gysylltiedig â’r ysgol gydol oes newydd yn Y Bala. Ma’r clwb rygbi’n bendant mai nhw ddylai redeg yr ysgol newydd ‘ma. Euros, swyddog rygbi’r ardal sy’n licio deud wrth bawb be’ i ‘neud, ddylai fod yn brifathro a gyda llaw, llongyfarchiadau mawr iddo fo a Mari ar enedigaeth Seren Glyn – dim ond 14 arall i fynd!! Bedwyr fyddai’n ddirprwy iddo – un sy’n gweiddi ond neb yn gwrando arno, (tebyg iawn i un dirprwy sy’n Ysgol y Berwyn ar hyn o bryd!). Gan fod arian yn brin, swyddog gweinyddol yr ysgol fyddai ein Cadeirydd, Tone – does neb erioed wedi’i weld yn mynd i’w boced i brynu rownd!
Siôn, y capten, fyddai yng ngofal disgyblaeth - fydde’r un athro byth yn dojio rhag ofn iddo ei dagu. Clwyd fyddai’r athro ffitrwydd, yn fforsio pawb i fynd i’r ‘gym’ i fuldio cyhyrau. Rhydian yn swyddog delwedd disgyblion, yn dysgu pawb sut i fod yn cwl dwds! Athro addysg bersonol yr ysgol newydd fyddai Ifan Four Crosses, y dyn AI. Ond y swydd bwysica fyddai’r prif gogydd, a Cablyd fyddai’n llenwi hon – ok, tydi ffags a chwrw yn y cantîn ddim yn dderbyniol ond mi fydde ‘na ddigon o kebabs a sglodion i gadw’r plant yn hapus. Ysgol gydol oes go iawn - a phawb yn ei chofio am byth! Tawaeth, yn ôl at y rygbi a’r Blaene.
Digon di-drefn fu’r hanner cyntaf gyda ‘run o’r ddau dîm yn cymryd gafael yn y gêm, a gan nad oedd ganddynt ddim byd chwarae amdano, roeddent yn ceisio pethau gwahanol. Di-sgôr fu’r hanner, a’r cefnwr, Chris Roberts, oedd yr unig un i serennu gyda rhediadau cryf, pwrpasol.
Roedd Y Bala’n erbyn y gwynt yn yr ail hanner ac fel y gwelwyd lawer gwaith eleni, roedd y perfformiad lot gwell. Wrth gadw’r bêl yn y dwylo roedd mwy o batrwm i’r chwarae, gydag Owain Aled yn rhedeg onglau gwych yn y canol. Cafwyd sgôr cyntaf wedi cyfnod o bwyso gan y blaenwyr, gan roi’r cyfle i ledaenu’r bêl i’r asgellwr Elgan Evans, oedd yn dal â dipyn i’w wneud cyn tirio yn y gornel o dan bwysau gan yr amddiffyn. 5-0.
Yna tro Rhydian oedd hi i ddiddanu wrth i sgarmes symudol Y Bala ennill tir a rhoi’r bêl ar y droed flaen, wedyn ffug bas ac roedd Rhydian drwy’r bwlch a dim gobaith i neb ei rwystro. Cais unigol gwych iddo. Chwarae teg i’r ymwelwyr, wnaeth eu pennau ddim disgyn, a daethant yn ôl efo sgôr eu hunain i wneud y 5 munud olaf yn reit anghyfforddus i’r Bala. Ond doedd dim tro i fod yn y gynffon, gyda’r Bala’n dal gafael ar y fuddugoliaeth, 12-7.
Pob lwc i’r Blaene tymor nesa – biti eu bod nhw’n disgyn o’r brif adran, ond ma’ Blaene’n glwb cymunedol a bydd eu cefndir cadarn yn sicrhau eu bod nhw’n sticio efo’i gilydd. Ma’ ganddynt ambell chwaraewr da a bechod na fyddai’n bosib’ dwyn un neu ddau! Wedi’r cwbwl, ‘does ‘na ddim teryngarch mewn rygbi, mwy nag mewn gwleidyddiaeth!
Gêm gyfeillgar fydd ar Faes y Gwyniad y Sadwrn nesaf, rhwng fets Y Bala a thîm cartre Harry Guttridge, sef Market Bosworth. Dewch draw i gael pnawn o adloniant!
Diolch o galon i’r hyfforddwyr, y physios a phawb arall sydd wedi helpu’r clwb mewn unrhyw fodd yn ystod y tymor. Gobeithio y gwelwn ni chi gyd yn ôl ar ddechrau’r tymor nesa!
Colwyn Bay 17 v Abergele 19
Following report kindly supplied by Abergele RFC.
The Colwyn Bay Chairman, in his programme notes, said “Today, a loss puts the loser out of the promotion race” and the realisation of this must have hung heavily on both sides as they fought for the ‘winner takes all’ spoils on this sunny but breezy day.
In front of a big and noisy crowd the two teams went toe-to-toe for the full eighty minutes providing a great advert for North Wales’ rugby.
For the first thirty minutes the two sides cancelled each other out with good possession being thrown away Colwyn Bay through poor handling and Abergele through some poor kicking.
The only chance either side had of scoring were a kickable but missed penalty for each and half-time was approaching with 0-0 being a likely score.
On thirty four minutes Abergele won a line-out near the halfway line from which they formed a rolling maul. The ball came out on the blind side via the excellent Josh Woods, who drew the defender and passed on to Ian Marshall who sprinted in from around 40m to touch down. Ben Jones converted to make the score 7-0 to Abergele.
However after touching down the Abergele scrum-half kicked the ball into the crowd and the referee awarded Colwyn Bay a penalty at the restart. This penalty came to nothing and the half ended with the 7-0 score.
The second half started with Colwyn Bay putting the Abergele under immense pressure and they were camped near the Abergele try line for nearly ten minutes with the Gele defence holding strong again and again when the crowd were expecting the Bay to go over.
Abergele regained possession and pushed the Bay back into their own half. On fifty three minutes they again got the ball form a maul and quickly swung the ball through the back to the right for winger Owain Davies to score in the corner. To make the score 12-0 to Gele.
Back came the Bay with a 40m penalty conversion. 12-3, and form the restart Gele won a kickable penalty but it was missed. Colwyn Bay through everything into a fight back but Abergele tackled like their lived depended on it and began to build some pressure of their own. Having been awarded a free kick about 10m out form the Bay line it was taken quickly and prop Tom Bond forced his way over under the posts with Ben Jones converting. This made the score 19-3 to Abergele and with only about 12 minutes left that looked it – a Gele victory.
But this seemed to galvanise Colwyn Bay and they again built pressure through the forwards. By this time Abergele had used all their replacements and they were finding it hard to adjust to the pace and intensity of the match.
From a scrum, which the Bay had dominated for most of the second half, they went over under the posts, the try was converted and it was 19-10 to Abergele. Less than ten minutes left and still two scores needed by the Bay who works their way down the field to again put the Gele line under pressure.
With less than 5 minutes left they found an uncharacteristic gap and again went over for a converted try to make the score 19-17 to the away side. Surely an amazing turnaround was not on the cards? The Bay were swinging the ball around to try and get around the Gele defence and they worked it to the right winger who looked as though he was going over until a desperate tackle pushed him into touch on the 5m line.
To show how decisive that score may have been, the resulting line out was won and Ian Marshall gleefully kicked it into touch for the referee to blow his whistle for full time.
So near yet so far for Colwyn Bay but relief and celebration for Abergele. It is too early to say this fantastic victory has given Abergele promotion as it is still mathematically possible for Bay to overtake them.
Sweet though the victory was, hopefully the real celebrations will begin next week when Newtown will visit Pentre Mawr Parc on the back of some recent good performances intent on spoiling the party.
The crowd were treated to eighty minutes of good and exciting rugby and some would say that Abergele were lucky to hold on but to use another quotation “Luck is not as random as you think” - the away side had prepared well for this and had the air of winners throughout and they have to take this into next Saturday’s final league game of the season to get their just desserts.
Cathays 14 v Llandrindod Wells 26
Following report kindly supplied by Llandrindod Wells RFC.
Despite having a couple of key players missing due to work commitments, Llandrindod managed to beat a lively and competitive Cathays outfit by almost the same score as that of their encounter at Llandrindod.
The game was notable for another reason. Five of the six tries were scored underneath the posts giving the place kickers an easy afternoon regardless of the blustery conditions.
Cathays drew first blood with a converted try from a lineout within the first five minutes of the game. Llandrindod answered in like kind with a try of their own by acting skipper Stephen Boore who powered his way through the Cathays defence. Conversion by Jac Holden.
With the wind giving neither side any real advantage, and the scores even, a form of stalemate developed though Cathays did have an advantage in territory and it was up to Dan Oakley to lead the visitors out deep defence, with the powerful assistance of Josh Hammond and Jason Pritchard.
On the attack again, a Llandrindod scrum five metres out from the Cathays line gave Oakley an easy run-in for the days only unconverted try, giving the visitors a slender five point lead.
Llandrindod's third and final try in this first half was an interception by centre Dan Ruell of a lazy Cathays pass on the halfway line, and an easy run to the line, and a Holden conversion.
The second half opened with Dan Oakley continuing his harrying of the opposition but a high defensive kick by Cathays, indeterminate play in the Llandrindod half and then a Cathays breakout for their second converted try.
With only five points between the sides things were getting interesting and with Cathays showing no signs of tiring the Llandrindod defence had a lot to do and full back Tyler Evans and
the rest of the backs had to work hard to stem the tide as the last line of defence.
Fortunately for the visitors, Cathays started to concede penalties though over-eagerness which relieved matters somewhat.
The coup-de-grace for Cathays came when they were within five metres of scoring in the Llandrindod corner. A dropped pass was gathered up by Llandrindod hooker Aled Price who then proceeded to sprint some 70 metres past a completely bemused defence, and then pass the ball to Boore who had managed to keep up with him, and for the centre to have a clear run to touch down under the posts. Holden converting.
This week, Llandrindod host Ynysowen in the League. Ynysowen are some five matches adrift of Llandrindod but have won all those they have played. In the meantime Llandrindod remain where they have been all season which is at the top of the table having so far won 13 out of the 16 matches they have played. Their minimum second place, depending on what Ynysowen do, guarantees them promotion, though to where is uncertain at this stage.
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