Tenby trounced - and coach Price resigns (From Penarth Times)

Tenby trounced - and coach Price resigns

Chepstow 75 Tenby United 15

Tenby United suffered a double body blow on the very first Saturday of the new rugby season as they conceded 75 points against a Chepstow team from Division Six (East) - and then long-suffering coach Gary Price resigned on Sunday at what he sees as the clubs failure to recruit any new players after relegation last campaign.

They were forced to play first-choice hooker Richard Rossiter at full back, had Carl Broaders sent off after an earlier spell in the sin-bin, conceded 14 tries, and also lost Andrew Webster because after the game the fly half decided he was going to throw in his lot with Waunarlwydd.

It begs the question of whether other players might also flee the nest and with no second team at Heywood Lane the playing strength is at an all-time low ebb.

Yet Tenby made a steady start and took the lead with a penalty from Webster before Chepstow grabbed a try from left-winger James McLaughlin which outside half Mark Roberts failed to convert. Back came the Seasiders as Paul Broaders rounded off a good forward thrust with an unconverted try.

But from there it was downhill all the way for a beleaguered Tenby as Chepstow led 30-8 at the interval and scored further tries at regular intervals as the Seasiders ran out of steam with so many inexperienced players involved. Tenby did manage a second try when scrum half Neil Duffy sliced over, Webster adding the conversion. But it was mainly one-way traffic.

For the record, pivot Roberts managed just one conversion and a first-half penalty for the home team, perhaps fortunate since the margin might have been even wider.

Their tries came from McLaughlin, who sped over for a quartet while fellow wing-man Craig Buchanan also benefited from acres of space wide out in claiming a hat-trick.

Others came from centres Willy Hall (2) and skipper Tony Hill, flanker Andrew Morris, No 8 Darren Deeley and his replacement Gary Davies.

Scrum half Dai Young also scored as the home front row of Wayne Morgan, Matthew Gore and Laurence Farrison had a field day.

Coach Price, talking on Sunday to Telegraph Sport, was quick to say that he attached no blame for the result to those in the side because he couldnt ask any more of them. But it is clear that a lack of strength in depth, plus the inability of the team to train twice a week, has prompted his departure on what was a very sad day for a once-proud club like Tenby United!

Tenby United: Richard Rossiter: Nicky Rees; Gavin Brace; Carl Broaders; Chris Williams: Andrew Webster; Neil Duffy: Simon Griffiths; Lee Tucker; Gareth Noott: Damian Hanlon (Gareth Bevan); Peter James: Nicky Allen; Paul Broaders; Justin Richards.