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30 October 2016 / Club News

CILFYNYDD 25 PORTHCAWL 19 – WRU BOWL

In an absorbing WRU Bowl match, Cilfynydd, a division above Porthcawl, just edged it to move into the next round.
From the start, it was obvious that two good sides would push each other all the way and the Seaweeds so easily could have won it in the closing ten minutes when they had the home side on the rack.
Early Porthcawl pressure saw them move well into home territory and when Cilfynydd fell off-side at a ruck, fly-half Josh White banged over the 22 metre penalty for nil-3.
The Porthcawl pack had the better of the early scrums but unbeaten Cil are a very good outfit and when Porthcawl indiscipline gave them the chance, home fly-half Delme King’s penalty brought it level at 3 apiece.
Home flanker Luke Riley was a constant driving performer throughout the match and he fully deserved to put Cil ahead from quick home ball going blind,  with a driving try, unconverted, for 8-3.
The home side were certainly more urgent than Porthcawl at times, especially in the loose where they excelled, with good line speed, as Porthcawl dominated the tight.
White, so consistent for Porthcawl with the boot this season, did it again after 30 mins, when he banged over a monster penalty from halfway for 8-6, yet back came Cil skipper tight head prop Jonathan Elley drove through a gap in the Porthcawl defence from close range, for a try converted by King for 15-6 with half-time beckoning.
It was vital that Porthcawl got something on the board before the break as the home side were in no mood to let things slip, and it was a piece of magic sleight of hand that brought the score. As Porthcawl pressed strongly down the left, a delightful reverse flick pass by Ben Thomas, left the home defence flatfooted. The pass found the waiting hands of wing Lewis Nolan who flew over at the corner, a superbly skilful try. White’s conversion off touch hit the upright, for 15-11 at the break.
The defining moment of the match came in early the second half as following some strong running from the home backs, a kick ahead rolled towards the Porthcawl line and the covering Josh White. As he moved towards the ball, he lost his footing in the slippery conditions and home second row Garyn King, one of three family members playing, gleefully pounced on the ball for a fortuitous try, which Delme King goaled, and suddenly Porthcawl had a mountain to climb at 22-11.
Playing up a noticeable slope, Porthcawl however, put all their efforts into getting back into the match and White’s 37 metre penalty brought it to 22-14 only for King, who had an excellent match, to kick another penalty to stretch it to an 11 point margin again for Cil at 25-14.
Porthcawl certainly were not as far off the pace as the score might have suggested and when the Seaweeds pack again started taking control, they moved play deep into the home half and series of lines-out saw the Seaweeds adopt the rolling maul with some skill and prop Tim Lunn, having his best match of the season by a mile, drove over for the try for 25-19, with White’s conversion drifting just wide.
With the final ten minutes on the clock, it was all Porthcawl as the home side struggled to cover, with scrum half Ross Parsons keeping up the tempo the home defence tired. A telling break by Parsons saw him dragged down just short of what could have been the defining try close to the posts, and the Seaweeds pack driving at the Cil line.
In the final movement of the match and with Porthcawl driving towards the line, the ball went loose for Cilfynydd to clear to touch to their enormous relief and bring the close to what had been a very good cup match which had everything.
Porthcawl can be pleased with having pushed the home side all the way and will feel a trifle unfortunate at the end. They will now recharge batteries before travelling to Vardre in the league on 12 November.

 

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