SEASIDERS EDGED OUT BY DAIRYMEN

Penarth 24-33 Llanharan (HT 14-12)

Penarth suffered their first defeat of the season against modern-day rivals Llanharan on Saturday, in
another stern test of the team’s credentials for promotion.

In front of healthy Athletic Ground crowd, it was Llanharan who replicated the start made by
Caerphilly just the previous week, in storming to a 12-0 lead within the first 10 minutes of play. This
didn’t reflect the dominance Penarth held in the early stages though, and this young side showed
great character and resilience in again coming from behind to recapture a foothold in the game.
Indeed, play was mostly in the Dairymen’s half and some skilful kicking from outside half Ben Jones
kept Llanharan in their own 22 and under pressure. This eventually told, as a quick tap penalty from
the alert Tom Griffiths took him just short of the line, only for the ball to be spread for Harry Wood
to crash over in the corner.

It was ironic that a rare misplaced Jones kick led to the second try. Treorchy product Josh Powell
was sharp to capitalise on a Llanharan mistake, collecting a loose ball to gallop over to score,
securing a deserved 14-12 half time lead for the home side.

The second half highlighted the clash of styles on the day, as Penarth tried to inject pace and flair
into the game against a Llanharan side focusing on power and line out dominance. The later style
told, as Llanharan edged back in front thanks to a try from 5 yards out and a penalty soon after, to
push the visitors 25-14 ahead with 15 minutes remaining. This Penarth squad doesn’t give in easily
these days though, and hit back instantly with a well drilled try from captain Miles Jones following
good work at the lineout. It seemed that pack power was the order of the day following another
Llanharan try, only for the Penarth eight to hit back with a superb scrum 5 yards out from the visiting
line, enabling man of the match and powerful ball carrier Ryan Hall to crash over to bring the score
back to 24-30. This also gave the Seasider’s a fourth try bonus point.

Unfortunately that was the end of Penarth’s challenge as a long range penalty put the result beyond
the home side, and giving Llanharan their third win of the season coming away with a 33-24 victory
at the Athletic Ground. This will have been a frustrating loss for both players and supporters, where
some more possession and tempo would have allowed Penarth to dominate proceedings and stretch
the visiting defence in the second half.

In reflecting on a bruising encounter, Head Coach Matt Bolton said “Not the result we wanted
obviously. An early top of the table clash that proved to be a great battle for both sides. Llanharan
deserved the win with their lineout superiority and control. We need to have more patience in attack
especially in key areas and learn not to force the ball. We can learn a lot from the game and move on
to our next challenge”.

With Llanharan now the topping the table with three wins, Penarth still sit in a promising third
position and visit fourth placed Cowbridge in a couple of weeks’ time. Next week, Penarth host
Croesyceiliog (from Division 2 East) in the first round of the National Cup competition. This will be
another stern test, with ‘Croesy’ also winning two from their opening three leagues fixtures. Kick off
will be at 2.30pm.
PENARTH: George Roberts, James Crothers (George Connelly), Andy Richards, Rhys Beynon, Josh
Powell, Ben Jones, Tom Hillman (Spencer Robinson), Harry Wood (Geraint Williams), Tom Griffiths,
Sam Sully (Ryan Jones), Cam Sultana, Matt Allen, Hugh Leach (Dominic Owen), Miles Jones ©, Ryan
Hall
SCORERS: Harry Wood (Try), Josh Powell (Try), Miles Jones (Try), Ryan Hall (Try), Ben Jones (2
Conversions)