Match Report

The waiting is over. It took until the first Saturday in October but Old Penarthians finally achieved their opening win of the season when they defeated Canton by 22 points to 14 in last Saturday’s SWALEC league clash at Cwrt-y-vil. The relief could be felt either side of the touchlines as players and supporters celebrated with the final blast of Referee Huw Morgan’s whistle and yet there was also a degree of disappointment at the fact that, once again, the side had taken its foot off the pedal early in the second half and had failed to achieve the try bonus point that had seemed a mere formality at that stage in the action.

Nevertheless, it was good that a potential banana skin had been avoided in the shape of defeat at the hands of opponents who, it should be said, had never achieved a league win at the Old Boys H.Q.. Canton did, however, come to town with confidence boosted by victory over Dinas Powys just a week ago whilst Scott McCarthy’s men had to go back to March for their last taste of glory. Making matters the more nervous for the hosts was the absence of leading try scorer Tim Naylor who had touched down no fewer than 6 times against these opponents last term. On a more positive note, it was good to see James Evans return to the front row, having recovered from his earlier injury, whilst Alun Haines made his first appearance of the season complete with brilliant white strapping to emphasise the tan acquired on his recent honeymoon!

On an afternoon that was to provide the players with the worst conditions of the campaign so far, the Old Boys opened away from the Clubhouse end of the ground and into the teeth of the very strong wind that was later supplemented by blustery downpours. The start could not have been better with Skipper McCarthy maintaining the recent accuracy of his kicking skills with a marvellously judged penalty goal from 35 yards that showed scant regard for the difficult conditions. Almost at once, Penarthians packed the left hand side of the field at a scrum in the centre of the playing area. Canton covered diligently but, as Simon Davies executed a move that smacked of training ground origin, the scrum half found himself in acres of space as he scampered to the right and allowed Gareth E. Jones an unencumbered run in for his touchdown at the corner. The kick was too difficult for even the in-form McCarthy but the Old Boys were 8 points clear after only 5 minutes of play.

A moment of concern occurred when Tom Draper’s attempted clearance was charged down but that danger was averted when Simon Davies ran 60 yards in a thrilling breakout before he ran out of steam. Outside half Rhys Manfield failed with a couple of speculative penalty attempts whilst, at the opposite end, Adrian Penny made excellent ground from a determined charge that failed when he could not link with the final pass. An excellent move involving Steve Mohring and Mark Sadler also threatened but again came to nought through the lack of immediate support. On the half hour, however, the lead was extended through an excellent score. A Canton clearance was caught by Tom Draper who set off on the counter. His chip ahead was beautifully judged and the ball bounced perfectly for the fast following Richard Moir who raced over for the touchdown. Scott McCarthy added the extra points with consummate ease.

A chance for Canton went begging immediately after when Manfield had the misfortune to see his 30 yard penalty attempt strike the outside of the upright before clearing to Penarthian safety. But the hosts were caught napping as the half came to its end. A lineout on the 10 yard line saw the visitors gain middle ball possession. Suddenly, a gaping hole appeared in the Penarthian ranks and scrum half Jason Harding took his chance in impeccable style to speed away from all the cover on an unchallenged 40-yard dash to touch down at the posts for a brilliant opportunist try. Manfield made no mistake on this occasion but the Canton cause suffered immediately after when their centre was issued with a red card for allegedly stamping on the head of Simon Davies.

With the wind at their backs and against reduced numbers opponents, the Old Boys began the second half with supreme confidence and appeared to have made the game safe within 3 minutes of the restart. A penalty award saw Scott McCarthy slot the ball to the right hand corner. Alun Haines secured the lineout possession and the ball was moved towards the posts before again switching to the right. On this occasion, Haines was stopped short of the line by a head high tackle that would certainly have been penalised by Referee Morgan had the ball not reached prop Tony Kemp who plunged over for the try that was also converted by McCarthy.

Another fine solo effort from scrum half Harding came to an end following the superb cover tackle for opposite number Simon Davies but that attack prefaced a period of Canton pressure that saw Penarthians unaccountably able to secure possession. Fortunately, the defensive line-up was equal to the challenge with locks Paul Langley and Alun Haines organising and in the firing line of the tackling that kept the visitors at bay. Sadly, the one break out that promised success came to an end when Tony Kemp opted for an abortive kick ahead when it seemed that he had an army of support on his right whilst the visitors re-established their ascendancy through another elusive run from Jason Harding that took play to the home 25.

Play continued with the visitors disappointingly in territorial control although it was to the credit of the Old Boys that the defensive frailties evidenced in recent outings were cast aside as the offensive was kept under wraps until the final minutes of the game when flanker Mike Hopkins forced his way over on the left for a touchdown that Rhys Manfield did well to convert with a difficult kick into the wind. Despite the moment of indiscipline that saw play restarted with a penalty to Canton, there was no further score although Penarthians will rue the fact that they did not add the fourth try that would have brought the luxury of a bonus point.

Despite the failure once again to contribute fully to both halves of the game, this was a much better display from the Old Boys who were good value for their victory. Up front, James Evans brought a front row stability that saw props Tony Kemp and Lee Brennan under much less pressure whilst there was outstanding work from Alun Haines and Paul Langley at lock, the latter deservedly earning his Man of the Match accolade. Back row forwards David Mason, Adrian Penny, and Rhys Jenkins also worked hard with substitutes Dean Pratt, Taz Rosoman, and Sean Leach all playing a part.

Until the lack of second half possession took its toll, the backs were in fine attacking form with Simon Davies and Scott McCarthy bringing the best out of Mark Sadler and Steve Mohring whilst Richard Moir and Gareth E. Jones were lively wings with good support from Danny Godfrey and Tom Draper again an adventurous full back.

The Vets were in action for the first time this season when they travelled to Sully with Chris Poole and Scott Mackie the only “non-qualified” members of an enthusiastic squad. Skipper Rob Crimp, however, took stick from his colleagues for deciding to play with the wind in the first half simply because that was the only session in which he intended to play!

In the event, the Skipper flopped over for a soft try before departing to leave the outcome in the safe hands of a side that possessed too much experience for a nonetheless enthusiastic Sully outfit. Brothers Mark and Noel Isherwood clearly enjoyed a rare outing together whilst Mark Bow added his usual all-action contribution. Up front, Colin Langley and Mark Curtis were in exceptional form with Paul Rapley also catching the eye as Geraint Evans and Jon Barry took turns to undertake the hooking duties.

Crimp apart, Penarthians tries came from Noel Isherwood, Richie Commander, Paul Rapley, and James Williams whilst Chris Poole added a sixth in addition to kicking the penalty and two conversions that completed the tally in a 37-14 score line.