A win at last (From Penarth Times)

A win at last

It may well be true that one swallow does not make a summer but there was little doubt that spring was in the air on Saturday last as Old Penarthians celebrated the end of the run that had seen the Senior side suffer nine successive defeats in the Lloyds TSB National league.

Visitors Caldicot were left reeling as the Old Boys produced a marvellous opening 30 minutes that could well have seen the hosts leading by more than double the 17 point margin that separated the sides at that stage.

On a day when the sun shined to produce a surface at Cwrt-y-Vil that was one of very few playable in South Wales, Gareth Shaw's men took the game by the scruff of the neck from the very first whistle and produced some thrilling rugby that was well appreciated by an enthusiastic crowd.

The tone was set initially by an outrageous dummy from full back Peter Goodfellow that could well have produced a score from a sweeping movement to the right.

The defence recovered temporarily only for a tap penalty move to preface an equally audacious feint from Peter Bennett that set the prop on a 20 yard dash for the opening try.

Clean and quick possession from the forwards was well used by a lively back division and the energetic appetite was further evidenced when outside half John Colderley split the defence wide open with a beautiful break from a set scrum before sending centre Chris Dacey storming over from the 25.

Colderley was again in action soon after when some nifty touchline footwork created something from nothing and it took a superb tackle from the Caldicot winger to prevent Simon Davies from crossing on the right.

The defence, however, had no answer soon after when brilliant combined play on the left saw five men handle in close proximity to create the space for winger Simon Davies to sprint clear for a marvellous touchdown to which John Colderley added the extra points for good measure.

Unfortunately, a completely unsavoury incident followed and its effect was to change the pattern of play completely. The visiting forwards had shown signs of greater effort and were driving towards the Old Boys line.

Number 8 Andy Hopkins, already a force in the home pack, was undoubtedly guilty of collapsing the maul and was rightly penalised by Referee Peter Young.

The Official was, however, totally unsighted as number 8 forward Carl Hereford appeared to deliberately stamp upon the head of the defenceless player, causing him to retire from the game soon after. With Penarthians forced to re-organise with the introduction of Adrian Penny, the visitors pressed home the advantage and scrum half Johnny Williams forced his way over from the second of two scrums close to the line to reduce the gap to 12 points at the break.

A mammoth penalty goal from John Colderley nudged Penarthians further ahead soon after the re-start but the edge had gone from the home play.

A general lack of discipline on the part of the visitors produced a series of penalties that were beyond kicking range but, even though good ground was gained, Gareth Shaw experienced extreme difficulty in finding his jumpers at the linesout and possession was surrendered time and again.

Fortunately, the defensive qualities of the side remained intact and, despite considerable pressure from the Caldicot eight, the line remained intact until just before the end when the lively Williams forced his way over for a second touchdown from close in, making the final score 20 points to 10 in favour of the hosts.

Although it has to be said that the second half performance did not match that of the first, the Old Boys have every reason to be delighted with a result that represented their first victory since the end of September.

Forwards and backs played particularly well in the opening session with both Tony Kemp and Ross Turpitt providing excellent lineout ball.

Skipper Gareth Shaw was in the thick of things on his first start for an equally long time and it was a pity that a shoulder injury later hampered his efficiency.

Nevertheless, both Peter Bennett and Lee Brennan worked hard in the tight and Greg Phillips made his presence felt on a number of occasions.

Andy Hopkins, John De Maid, and Andy Hopkins comprised a lively breakaway trio with Adrian Penny also playing his part after the departure of Hopkins.

The enthusiasm of Mark Bow was a welcome addition to the back division whilst the midfield trio of John Colderley, Jamie Evans, and Chris Dacey was much more impressive than that offered by the visitors.

Simon Davies contributed another committed performance on the wing with Danny Godfrey solid in his play whilst Peter Goodfellow rolled back the years with an excellent performance at full back.

It is to be hoped that the side will produce an equally impressive display this week when they travel to St Peters for another "must win" game.

Mass withdrawals forced the cancellation of the Seconds proposed friendly at Sully Sports although Skipper Phil Brock did manage to secure sufficient numbers for the Thirds league game at Clwb Rygbi.

This turned out to be a very keenly contested affair with the result in doubt until the final moment when David Pilcher proved to be the hero of the hour with the penalty that enabled the Old Boys to edge home in a 16-15 scoreline.

Saturday's 1st team game away to St Peters kicks off at 2.30pm with the 2nds similarly committed as they travel to Llanishen.

The Fourths hope to be in action at Cwrt-y-Vil although the Thirds are without a game this week.