SEASIDERS RETURN IN COMMON ROMP

Dinas Powys 7-59 Penarth

It’s important to keep things in proportion and context is everything. For the large contingent of travelling supporters, a return to actual rugby would have been enough, but when their team was looking as irresistible as this, it was really rather confusing.

Context: this was a friendly run-out at near-neighbours Dinas Powys (from Division 1 East Central) and it was four short periods of ten-a-side totally about 40 minutes of rugby. Both clubs had fielded senior squads and there were no scrums.

Having said all that, the ensuing hour soon took on a surreal air as the Seasiders hit the ground running and never really stopped. This young squad looked fit and intent and if a few scoring passes went astray, everything else ran like clockwork.

The score was a little difficult to follow, as most drop-kicked conversions were missed, so the details, if not the overall size of the result, need to be taken with a pinch of salt. By the end of the first period, a totally dominant Penarth starting 10 were leading 15-7, following scores by Spencer Robinson, Harry Williams and George Roberts.

In the second period, a much-changed line-up faced a better quality of Dinas opposition, but despite losing a player to a yellow card, they still managed another couple of scores through Robinson and Mason Good.

In the third period, while the crowd were still waiting for Dinas to live up to their billing, the Seasiders cut loose in spectacular fashion, adding a further five tries to the five already scored. Alex Thau, Owen Lloyd and Alan Doyle were the scorers, with the latter completing the score with a conversion. Further scores by lock Ben Heywood and an irrepressible Rhys Beynon, pushed the score out to a probable 7-54 (approx.) before a quieter fourth period where the highlight was George Kynaston taking a perfect line to score the final try.

It was all a bit strange and exhilarating, but it certainly gave us every impression that Penarth are fit and ready for whatever this coming season brings us.

It seems likely that there will be a ‘round robin’ start to a WRU Bowl competition in August, with the likelihood of a shortened league season, starting in mid-January after a winter break. As soon as this all becomes clearer, we’ll report it.

One last bizarre statistic after a deeply strange pre-season, post-lockdown friendly run-out: out of 11 tries scored, only Spence scored two. Are things looking up for Penarth? Probably.

PENARTH SQUAD:

Miles Jones, Ben Heywood, Sam Davies, Mason Good, Tom Griffiths, Alan Doyle, Owen Lloyd, Alex Thau, Alex Shore, Rhys Jones, Rhys Powell, George Kynaston, Jim Crothers, Rhys Beynon, Andy Richards, Rhys Morgan, Spencer Robinson, James Candy, George Roberts, Harry Williams, Danny Davidson, Will Hardy, Aled Rees, Matt Wiltshire