SEASIDERS SO NEARLY CHAMPIONS
Tylorstown 6 Penarth 11
All the signs are now that Tylorstown will be Division 3 (SE) champions 2009-10, but in their last match of the campaign, Penarth came within three points of claiming the title for themselves. In a game which amply lived up to the billing of a showdown between the division’s two best sides, the Seasiders completed the double over their nearest rivals, but failed to maintain the 8-point lead that would have given them the title.
A cautious Penarth dominated the opening exchanges and James Docherty coolly slotted a penalty gained in the first ruck of the game after only one minute. Tylorstown continued to fluff their lines and another penalty soon followed, which Chris Roberts narrowly failed to convert from 55m.
The forwards took up the running and pushed the hosts’ pack off two successive scrums before Docherty scuffed a drop-goal attempt wide and despite continuing dominance up front, it was Tylorstown who registered the next points with an equalising penalty after 27 minutes. Penarth tried everything in the remainder of the first half to regain the lead, but despite an exhilarating 30m driven maul and a huge break from Chris Roberts halted under the Tylorstown posts, the scored remained locked on 3-3 after 40 minutes.
The second half began at a high pace and error count until the home openside flanker’s antics in the ruck brought out the referee’s yellow card, unfortunately not for the last time. Docherty converted the penalty and no sooner had the match been restarted but the other flanker found himself in the bin for a similarly technical offence. With six minutes remaining against 13 men, Penarth could surely gain a decisive advantage, but the next ruck in the hosts’ twenty-two saw James Roach consigned to the bin and the odds evened out a little. Nevertheless, the Seasiders still managed to exploit their advantage as Mike Clare drove over from a line-out to bring up the much-desired 8-point advantage.
With twenty-eight minutes remaining, Penarth brought Peter Bennett into the front row and as Tylorstown saw their hopes of the championship disappearing, they suddenly found a second wind and, to be fair, the rest of the game was all about the hosts and a fantastic defensive effort from the Seasiders.
A converted penalty after 56 minutes brought the Penarth lead down to five points as the hosts embarked on an all-out assault that was to last more than twenty minutes. Play hardly strayed out of the Seasiders’ twenty-two the whole time and while it seemed certain that the hosts would score eventually, Penarth never looked remotely as if they would extend their lead.
A new-found ascendancy in the scrum probably persuaded Tylorstown to turn down several kickable penalties, but only the once did they breach the Seasiders’ defence and cross the line, only for the referee to decline to award the claimed try. Finally, in near-darkness, after all of 8 minutes’ injury time played, the referee indicated the last play at a Tylorstown scrum. With one last effort the Penarth pack took it against the head and Liam Bevan hoofed the ball down the valley for a famous win.
Both teams were visibly shattered and the result left Penarth without the title they came for and Tylorstown with all the work to do. That is to say that they needed to win their remaining two games, with bonus points, to deny the Seasiders the title. They successfully negotiated the first leg of this challenge with a 27-12 win at Heol-y-Cyw last Saturday and now only a trip to Aberdare next Saturday stands between the Tigers and the championship. This would leave Penarth with a play-off for the third promotion spot against the runners-up in Division 3(E) Abergavenny.
PENARTH Chris Roberts, Chris Poole, Rhys Lakin, Liam Bevan, Steve Roberts, [James Crothers], James Docherty, Owain George [Gareth Clancy], Richard Merrett, Gary Power, Sean O’Sullivan [Peter Bennett], James Roach [Jason Allen], Darroll Hawden, Elliott Smith, Mike Clare, Marc Devine