Top side brushed aside (From Penarth Times)

Top side brushed aside

Taffs Well 17, Penarth 34

Despite this being the stiffest test for the Seasiders since the beginning of October against Penallta, they certainly didn't let anyone down as they easily brushed their opponents aside last Friday night. .

The early engagements on a frosty night at Taffs Well's impressive Maes Gwyn headquarters in Glan-y-Llyn were instructive, if only to demonstrate the erstwhile leaders' mastery of the breakdown, where Penarth attacking ball was killed with monotonous regularity.

In all other departments the Seasiders held the upper hand and it was clearly going to be only a matter of time before the score reflected this superiority.

Always more inventive behind the scrum and mauling well, it was the visitors who broke the stalemate after 30 minutes with the first score of the game.

Having been under siege in the far corner and avoiding what looked like several persuasive cases for a penalty try, the hosts were unable to resist a quick tapped penalty and a short pass to Andrew Bradshaw on the right wing and in at the corner.

As so often happens, the reaction to a score at one end is a repeat performance at the other and Taffs Well certainly gave it their best shot.

For fully five minutes they laid siege to the Penarth line but just as it seemed a score was inevitable, David Jenkins intercepted a not-all-that-loose pass and sold several dummies while making his way steadily to the posts fully 80 metres away.

With hardly any time left before the break, there wasn't much prospect of further scores, but Mike Clare had other ideas.

The big number eight drove deep into home territory and there was nearly a score in the left hand corner.

Never mind; the ball was shipped rapidly right, where David Jenkins held it up beautifully, drawing the defence and leaving Andrew Bradshaw with only two defenders to beat for his second try.

At the start of the second half, it looked like curtains for Taffs Well as their pack was nearly destroyed at the first scrum on their own put-in. It was about now that the hosts worked out they weren't ever going to win this one and the messing about started in earnest.

A ferocious shoeing of a Penarth tackler mixed things up nicely, as the referee preferred to penalise the visitors and Taffs Well were able to score a breakaway try in the ensuing confusion.

A further penalty rather misleadingly allowed the home side to close the gap to 10-19, but Taffs Well fumbled the re-start.

Chris Mortimer was stopped just short of the line and James Crothers was held up shortly afterwards.

The Seasiders then took a scrum against the head and although the first thrust from Mike Clare was blocked, the ball was recycled quickly to David Jenkins, who crashed through four tacklers to score his second try.

The next time Taffs Well tried to run it out of their own 22, Penarth turned them over and Danny Brookman dropped a goal.

Just enough time for a classic Seasiders' maul to the line as the hosts tried every illegal move to stop it and it was only Dai Carter scoring his side's fifth try that excused the referee from having to wave a card or three.

Taffs Well made full use of the remaining five minutes in pursuit of a second consolation try, which duly arrived on the stroke of full-time.

Penarth can now move on to consolidate their position, tucked in behind leaders Penallta on 21 points, with a tasty looking run-in to Christ-mas.

Penarth: Reddi- cliffe, Bradshaw, Jenkins, Edwards, J. Crothers, Broo- kman, Mortimer, Merrett, P. Ben-nett, Morgan (Higgins), Allen (Fitzgerald), Gooding, Hopkins, Clare (Carter), Bonello.