SEASIDERS WELL SET FOR NEW SEASON

SENGHENYDD 7 PENARTH 0 – Saturday 20 August 2016

A rain-swept Welfare Ground seconds pitch at the top end of the Aber Valley marked the debut of a new-look Seasiders team as they took on Div 1 (E) Senghenydd in a pre-season friendly. The hosts looked as if they were fielding at least 30 players and warmed up as if they meant business, but this availed them little in the end.

This ‘new look’ is not so much to do with changes in personnel, as most of last season’s squad were again present, but the influence of new coach Matthew Bolton was already obvious as they went about their business with a new-found sense of purpose and fought the more numerous hosts to a standstill.

The fact that this all-action encounter was low-scoring was entirely due to the excellence of the defensive work, as all the well-worked attacks from either side resulted in few genuine scoring opportunities.

This was an unlimited-substitute four-quarter friendly played out in awful conditions, but the interest never flagged. Errors were few and the only threats to continuity were the frequent interruptions from the referee. He also had a part to play in the two events which decided the game in the second quarter.

First, in a match where penalties were almost always kicked to touch or tapped, Nathan Smith opted for the posts from 25m, but the conditions foiled him and the attempt went narrowly wide. Then a series of penalty awards allowed the Saints to gain rare field position in the Seasiders’ 22 and Owen Ford scored the only try of the afternoon. Apart from that, although neither side came close to scoring, it was far from dull as both teams never gave up probing for weaknesses in the other’s defence.

Overall, Penarth look well set for this season’s Div 2 (East Central) campaign, which opens with an away fixture against newly-promoted Old Illtydians at Moorland Park in Splott on Saturday 3rd September. The pack, bolstered by the return of Jon Boland were business-like and consistently had the edge on all the combinations Senghenydd could field, while the back division, expertly marshalled by Nathan Smith, had pace and support in abundance.

PENARTH Tom Smith (Mike Gubb), James Crothers, Adam Lewis, Tom Luck (James Docherty), Ben Hill [Riyad Aukbarally], Nathan Smith, Owain Rees (Gareth Mathias), Jerome Bryan (Richard Merrett), Mason Good, Alan Doyle (Matthew Holder), Lloyd Hutson (Stuart Clarke), Jon Boland, Scott Mackie, Alex Thau, Harry Roberts

National League Division 2 East Central

Saturday 3rd September 2016

Old Illtydians v PENARTH

Moorland Park, Splott

Kick-off 2.30pm