MAGNIFICENT SEASIDERS RIDE THE WAVE
Penarth 50-22 Old Illtydians (HT:12-3)
Having disposed of bottom club Cefn Coed the previous week, there might have been some question marks about how they’d fare against opposition further up the table. Fielding a squad looking far more like a first-choice selection, the Seasiders banished all doubts with a storming second-half performance to record their best league win since beating Treherbert 68-7 three years ago.
Having held out under early pressure from Illtydians, they took the lead after 12 minutes as Owain Lord put in a huge break which nearly resulted in a score in the corner, but Rhys Morgan’s trademark tapped penalty saw the captain over the line. The hosts were back again almost immediately as Ben Hill made ground down the left flank, but ill-advised advice to the referee gave Illts a penalty instead.
This led to the visitors’ first points as outside-half Sean Cochlin pulled three back. After a lengthy delay as Illts number eight received treatment before retiring, the match settled into a frantic deadlock as both sides tried to gain the upper hand, but it was Penarth that got the decisive score on the stroke of half-time. Ball worked left from a 22m scrum, Kevin Maddox straightened it up and Hill scored in the corner.
The opening ten minutes of the second half brought two tries for the Seasiders and one for the Illts. First Alan Doyle claimed the ball from the kick-off and made ground into the 22, where quick recycling allowed Maddox to find Richie Bowen who left his cover for dead. Then Illts pulled seven points back with a tapped penalty from Cochlin, but the introduction of James Docherty’s kicking game secured the bonus point for Penarth. The restart was hoisted up into the visitors’ half where Hill challenged for the ball, seemed surprised to come away with it, but lost no time in making his way swiftly under the posts.
A further four tries were to follow in the final quarter. Bowen won a turnover on the home 10m before sprinting into the Illts 22 with Matt Allen in support. Last defender drawn, Allen scores. Minutes later the flanker was off again, turning the defence inside and out. Hill looked odds-on to complete his hat-trick, but was tackled, Rhys Beynon being on hand to complete a neat touch-down in the corner.
Illts managed a second try as the game entered the last 10 minutes, but the grand finale belonged to Allen as he completed his own hat-trick in fine style. A scrum outside the 22 was claimed by the Seasiders, with the lock breaking clear and all the way to the line. Then Docherty plugged the restart right back to the goal-line, but the clearance found Spencer Robinson, who soon set the backs running. Allen was found in the outside centre berth and cruised to the line for Penarth’s eighth try. A consolation third try by the visitors on the stroke of full-time couldn’t take anything away from a magnificent performance by a Seasiders team that looked any but relegation candidates.
Another win against 11th-placed Gwernyfed next Saturday would go a long way towards securing Division 3 (East Central) A status for Penarth next season.
PENARTH:
George Roberts, James Crothers, Owain Lord, Rhys Beynon, Ben Hill, Kevin Maddox, Rhys Morgan ©, Harry Wood, Mason Good (Iwan Baker), Ryan Jones (Alan Doyle), Matt Allen, Andy Lang, Jack Hughes (Chris Mortimer), Miles Jones, Richie Bowen.
Scorers: Matt Allen (3t), Ben Hill (2t), Rhys Morgan (t/c), Richie Bowen (t), Rhys Beynon (t), James Docherty(4c).
