SEASIDERS CUP WOES CONTINUE

Penarth 5-27 Pentrych (HT 0-20)

The Seasiders’ stumble through this season’s National Bowl competition continued last Saturday.They have soundly beaten neighbours Old Penarthians twice, but lost to everyone else in the group. The team fielded two more debutants in AJ Jones and Ben Wellington, bringing the total number of players that have featured in these four games to 46.

Proceedings began as a starting fifteen missing a number of experienced players faced a businesslike Pentyrch outfit. The real puzzle was that is such dreadful conditions, both sides rejected the option of ‘up the jumper’ ruby and went for the running game. With, it has to be said, a marked lack of success.

The visitors opened the scoring after seven minutes in what was to be a rare enough visit to the home 22 as their number eight latched on to a 5m line-out throw and crashed over. Six minutes later, they were back to convert a penalty under the posts for a 10-0 lead.

Meanwhile Penarth seemed to be marking time as Pentyrch played with directness and purpose whenever they sensed an opportunity. It was no surprise when they moved further ahead on 23 minutes as the right wing crossed in the corner and the outside-half converted from the touchline.

The Seasiders weren’t giving up, exactly, but seemed to lack any clear idea of what to do with the plentiful possession that came their way. Laboured three-quarter moves inevitably ending in handling error, turnover or aimless kick ahead. Another penalty for the visitors left Penarth twenty points adrift at half-time.

I suppose you could say that the second half was better for the hosts as the sides were limited to a try apiece, but having lost Alex Shore after twenty minutes, the already long injury list continued to grow as a nasty collision saw George Roberts stretchered off.

Despite this, Penarth were still playing most of the attacking rugby, but consistently failing to turn this into points. Harry Roberts also had to be helped from the field on the hour and when Alex Thau also went down injured it was hard to see any way back for the Seasiders.

However, the dynamic number 8 recovered after treatment and in fact there was no second half score at all until a rare Pentyrch attack after 73 minutes yielded them a soft third try. Their outside half received a short pass 15 metres out and waltzed through two horribly missed tackles to the line.

The only relief came in the final phase of the game after another period of pressure from Penarth. At last a worked move came together as Spencer Robinson popped up a short pass to the oncoming Thau and the number eight crashed through five defenders for the consolation try.

The Seasiders visit unbeaten Llanharan next Saturday in the penultimate group fixture.

PENARTH:

James Candy, George Roberts (Jim Crothers), Andy Richards, Ben Wellington, Rhys Morgan ©, Spencer Robinson, A J Jones, Tom Griffiths (Mason Good), Alan Doyle, Ben Heywood, Cam Sultana, Alex Shore (Nathan Frost), Harry Roberts (Ellis Shewring).

Scorer: Alex Thau, Try