RESILIENT SEASIDERS SIMPLY OUTPACED

DINAS POWYS 49 PENARTH 17 – Saturday 4 February 2017
For the first forty minutes of this local derby, Dinas looked very much the league leaders, while sixth-placed Penarth might have feared conceding in excess of 60 points. That the Villagers went in at half-time 28-0 up was simply because, as a team, they were faster in thought and deed than a committed and hard-working Seasiders outfit.
Except it wasn’t as straightforward as it sounds. Penarth conceded the first try after 13 minutes, but Dinas couldn’t move things along much until James Crothers was lost to the bin and they scored the second on the half-hour through a brilliant solo effort from their outside centre. Then, as they say, everything fell apart for a spell and the hosts took control of the match.

The third try was a penalty award as Scott Mackie pulled the home outside-half back in the act of scoring and while he was enjoying his own ten minutes on the touchline, the home side added a fourth as their number 4 charged down a Nathan Smith clearance and found all the time in the world to work out where the ball had got to before strolling over.

The second half was a wholly different affair as the Seasiders finally found a way to control the rampant Villagers, but the final score ended up rather lop-sided as the hosts scored a further try after 44 minutes and two late ones.
First the home scrum-half found himself on the end of a rapid sequence of passes on the left wing amid cries of “forward” from the touchline, but the Penarth fight-back began immediately as Nathan Smith made amends for the earlier charge-down by charging one down himself and scoring. He was also instrumental in setting up the second Seasiders try, tapping a penalty on half-way and making 30m. Crothers cut inside, but was held and the ball quickly recycled to Liam Union who scored in the corner.

By now Penarth had finally got a grip on things and as the home openside flanker departed with a yellow card, they claimed a 5m line-out and after a period of pressure, Gareth Mathias crossed in the corner and the score was a far more respectable-looking 35-17.

With the Seasiders now in a position where they could seriously look for a fourth try and an unlikely bonus point, the Villagers slowed the momentum with two quick tries. An otherwise solid Penarth defence was breached as a dog-leg allowed their right wing clean through for the sixth, while the outside-half cleverly ran around an injured player receiving treatment to score the seventh.
Penarth laid siege to the Dinas line in a frantic finish, but the bonus point try they probably deserved simply wouldn’t come. The team now face a four-week wait for the next league fixture as St.Peters, their scheduled opponents on 18th February, have reached the quarter-finals of the Swalec Plate and travel to Div 1 North Nant Conwy in North Wales.

PENARTH James Docherty, Colin Osborne, Liam Union, Tom Luck ©, James Crothers, Nathan Smith (Tom Hillman), Gareth Mathias, Richard Merrett (Jerome Bryan), Mason Good, Alan Doyle (Sean O’Sullivan), Dan Seal, Anthony Pine, Scott Mackie (Aaron Ellis), Elliott Smith, Alex Thau
Scorers: Nathan Smith, Liam Union, Gareth Mathias (tries).
James Docherty (conversion).

Division 2 East Central
Saturday 4th March 2017
Llantrisant v PENARTH
Cefn Mably, Llantrisant CF72 8HA
Kick-off 2.30pm