Villagers rally to maintain top spot (From Penarth Times)

Villagers rally to maintain top spot

Dinas Powys 29 Brecon 12

A FINE second-half recovery by Dinas helped the Villagers maintain joint top spot in the Welsh National Division Four East last Saturday.

Forced to play a 12.30pm kick-off because of the Wales v Argentina test match, the injury-ravaged Villagers took a long time to settle down and were 12-0 down after 24 minutes. But the walking wounded recovered well in the second half to rally and come away with the points in a 29-12 victory.

The Villagers, missing ten players either injured, unavailable or suspended, with others playing despite carry injuries, started quite brightly but after five minutes it was the visitors from Mid-Wales who had settled the better and they opened their account after eight minutes when the ball was run along the threequarters to the left wing for them to score.

Brecon continued to look the stronger side throughout the remainder of the half and their pressure finally told after 24 minutes when they scored a try from a rolling maul under the posts. The Villagers did get on the scoresheet towards the end of the first half when Steve Pearce had made several strong runs to gain good position and the ball was put out wide to full-back Chris O'Brien for a fine try in the corner. The score remained at 12-5 to the visitors until half-time.

Coach Jeff Pick must have had some strong words to say to his side at half-time, for they came out in the second half like a team of rampaging tigers and soon took control of the game. Veteran prop Mike Prosser, who had come to help the club in its moment of crisis with three first team front-rowers unavailable, was replaced at half-time by the even older Matthew Hadley. Matthew put in a storming display in the second half, as did the dropped Chris Thomas who replaced Steve Pearce.

A superb rolling maul five minutes into the half resulted in a try for Matthew Hadley, who achieved with this a magnificent distinction. He has now scored first team tries in four decades, the 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s.

The Villagers pack showed their strength, even with key personnel missing with this superb try, and they really started to dominate all facets of forward play.

The next try which gave Dinas Powys the lead they were never to surrender came when Chris O'Brien charged down an attempted line clearance by a Brecon defender for scrum-half James Madden to pick up the ball and go over. Chris O'Brien, who had missed two much easier kicks, put this touch-line conversion over for a 17-12 lead.

Another try followed when Paul Lyons got a touch down following another rolling maul, with Chris O'Brien again converting for a 24-12 victory.

Phil Young who had been carrying an injury left the fray after 59 minutes and another of the walking wounded, Mark Cox came on to replace him. Mark, despite carrying an injury, played with passion and venom and put in some big tackles and made some useful runs to keep the Villagers in complete control of the game.

The final Dinas try came when, following winning a line-out, which by now skipper Stuart Pyeman was starting to dominate, number eight Chris Thomas peeled round to take the ball flying up the wing, handing-off several hapless Brecon defenders to score a fine try.

Chris O'Brien slipped attempting the conversion to leave the Villagers 29-12 victors in the end.

This was a superb performance by Dinas considering the injuries they are currently carrying. Ian Davies, Matthew Vowles and Mike Prosser and then the superb Matthew Hadley, all performed heroics in the front row against big Brecon props.

The unsung hero of the season Gareth Phillips again put in a fine performance in support of skipper Stuart Pyeman in the engine room, whilst Terry Harris, Steve Pearce, Paul Lyons and Chris Thomas all did sterling work in the back row. The backs were severely disrupted by injuries, with Phil Young, Jonathan Jenkins and Chris O'Brien all being the victim of positional changes on the day.

Next week Dinas travel to Newport HSOB for what is always a tough fixture, prior to the Wales v Tonga fixture (2pm kick off).