Old Penarthians suffer (From Penarth Times)

Old Penarthians suffer

THE festive break did little to sharpen the enthusiasm of certain players within the ranks the Old Penarthians club - a fact emphasised last weekend when the senior side slithered to a sorry 58-0 defeat at Cilfynydd.

The heavy margin of this latest defeat owed more to the individuals who failed to turn up rather than the efforts of those worthies who were forced to make up the numbers at the very last moment.

When the sides last met in September, Penarthians were much stronger and a two-point margin represented the difference between the sides as Cilfynydd won the Cwrt-y-Vil battle 5-3.

Since then, Penarthians have lost the services of both Chris Dacey and skipper Simon Hennessey as key members suffering long-term injuries.

With the experienced Nigel Edmunds and Ross Turpitt among other players currently unavailable for various reasons, the selectors could have done without the added difficulty of, as was the case on Saturday, five players crying off at the last moment.

A makeshift squad was thrust into the temporary leadership of Mark Bow and, during the early stages of a match played in surprisingly good conditions at Cilfynydd, Penarthians gave a good account of themselves against opponents riding on the crest of a wave - level on points with South Wales Police at the head of the divisional table but with a game in hand that could prove crucial in the final push for promotion.

To the fore in those early stages were the back-row trio of Mark Smart, Dave Mason, and Dave Roberts. Mason attracted the wrath of the home supporters with some aggressive tackling while both Smart and Roberts did excellent work in the loose.

Veteran Bob Denning was a revelation as he put himself about with an energy that belied his advancing years, forcing Tony Kemp to look to his laurels in that direction.

Hooker Kyle Blake was another of the late inclusions to impress, moving about the park in lively fashion, although the accuracy of his lineout throwing did reflect the absence of such skill in his normal rugby league environment.

With Malcolm Penberthy and Lee Brennan adding a touch of the normality, the forwards worked well in the opening session.

Simon Davies was short of the target from an ambitious penalty attempt from close to halfway, and there were few other points chances for the Old Boys, but it was not until the latter part of the half that Cilfynydd themselves created the breakthrough, taking advantage of some slack marking to secure a converted try after 20 minutes that was followed by three further scores that put them 24-0 clear at the break.

With the Old Boys enjoying the advantage of the slope in the second half, it was felt that there might be some chance of making inroads into the lead.

But Penarthians ran out of steam following the earlier efforts, while the hosts grew in confidence, crossing for six further tries as they ended the match in the manner of a training session, several successful conversions boosting the tally.

Credit is also due to an Old Pens back division that worked hard despite the obvious lack of understanding that came from its scratch nature.

Mark Bow will want to forget the disastrous fly-hack that led to a first-half try but still did his best to instil, some order into the efforts with Simon Davies working hard until suffering a leg injury.

Gareth Welford similarly failed to last the duration but it was good to see Andrew Vale back in action, while Steve Richards again looked a useful prospect likely to progress in a more settled three-quarter line.

There were also useful touches from Jon Aubrey and Tim Broome, although the tendency to over-complicate matters was not always the best approach.

* At Cwrt-y-vil, the Seconds entertained CIACS as replacement for the now-defunct St Joseph's Seconds but were beaten 22-12 in an entertaining contest.

Jonathan Declaire was in excellent lineout form for the hosts, with youngsters Jack Parkinson and Mark Sadler catching the eye behind but an equally youthful CIACS side were deserved winners on the day.

* Saturday sees the Firsts in must-win action at home to Bridgend Sports, while the Seconds travel to Barry for their league match. Both matches kick off at 2.30pm.