Seasiders get out of jail in dying seconds

10:22am Thursday 18th October 2007

PENARTH 24 TONYREFAIL 24 FOR THE first hour of this bizarre but compelling encounter, the Seasiders looked rusty, but comfortably in charge.

Then a single home substitution turned the game on its head - and Penarth can count themselves distinctly fortunate to have come away with two points.

As expected, the hosts were nowhere near as bad as their league position suggested and as the Seasiders took first use of a prodigious slope, they put a lot of effort into keeping the score manageable.

In retrospect, they were pretty successful and despite taking a battering in the tight, turned round only 17 points down.

A well-worked try finished off by Liam Bevan after 20 minutes set things moving after an earlier James Docherty penalty, but Penarth seemed well in charge when Chris Mortimer followed up a rampaging maul to jink past four defenders to make it 0-17 five minutes before the interval.

So far so good, but that slope looked more than 17 points worth - and so it proved. The key for Tonyrefail seemed to be a replacement tighthead prop, which transformed their scrum and with it the game.

The hosts turned the screw and the pressure told as a flanker charged down a Docherty clearance and their scrum half followed through to score.

Within minutes, the number eight seemed certain to score as Tonyrefail camped out in the Seasiders' 22, but they had to settle for 3 points to bring the score back to 10-17.

By now any Penarth control over the game was a distant memory as the home side poured forwards and a penalty was kicked to touch. The line-out was neatly mauled and the home hooker safely home for the equalising try.

At this point, the Seasiders desperately tried to slow the game down, but it was far too late and with five minutes to go, the replacement tight-head that had so transformed his side's performance in the tight showed up to devastating effect in the loose.

Breaking off the back of a maul 22 metres out, he jinked and drove his way past the entire Penarth defence for a brilliant individual try.

Quite what he'd been doing on the bench for half the game is anyone's guess and it was a miscalculation that probably cost Tonyrefail their first win of the season.

The final minutes belonged to the Seasiders, who finally conjured up the teamwork that had carried them to promotion.

From the restart, they exerted total control and moved play inexorably towards the home line.

A score still seemed unlikely, but they ground on as the clock ticked past the 80 minute mark and the last act took the form of a 5-metre scrum with a Penarth put-in.

A quick heel was essential, as there was little prospect of driving the home pack and sure enough, there it was.

Mike Clare picked up and drove, but the home defence were ready and he was tackled short of the line.

However, they hadn't picked up Geraint Blake, who followed up to wriggle over for his side's third try. A straightforward Docherty conversion and the sides were tied on 24-all, much to the visitors' jubilation.

This was a game the Seasiders won, then lost and finally fought back to draw. Hair-raising stuff, but next Saturday's home fixture against third-placed Llantwit Fardre promises to be an altogether more difficult assignment.

PENARTH: Lakin, Roberts, Bevan, G Blake, Crothers, Docherty, Mortimer, Merrett, R Blake (Bennett), Power, Ball, Gooding, Cosslett, Esterhuyzen (Clare), Aylward.

FIXTURE Penarth have a home league game this Saturday against third-placed Llantwit Fardre kick-off 2.30pm.