Penarth RFC ride their luck! (From Penarth Times)

Penarth RFC ride their luck!

7:50am Thursday 4th February 2010

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PENARTH 24 PENTYRCH 13

THIS WAS more like it: a match that had everything, including a happy ending!

A 4-1 try count and a bonus point for Penarth is a wholly false reflection on a fascinatingly close contest. The first five minutes were quiet enough, but then the Seasiders burst into sparkling life with an unlikely and spectacular try.

Pentyrch had benefited from the first of many aimless kicks downfield by the hosts and hoisted a high one of their own down the touchline in the direction of Chris Poole.

The young wing put up a towering garryowen and chased it successfully without actually claiming possession, but Rhys Lakin was following up along the tramlines to claim the loose ball and stroll around behind the posts.

Pentyrch recovered quickly from this setback and proved they weren’t there to make up the numbers.

A slick handling move had Penarth backing off their tackles in mid-field and the away full-back was over in the corner. This encouraged the visitors and only a late intervention from Owain George at full-back prevented a second try in as many minutes.

The Seasiders knew there was more than one way of racking up points and patiently worked their way upfield, forcing a line-out 20m from the try-line. James Roach claimed solid ball at the front of the line and the pack ground inexorably towards their second try, scored by Aaron Ellis.

All the pressure for the remainder of the half came from the home side and it was a matter of some surprise that no further score came until the stroke of half time, when the Penarth pack put so much pressure on the Pentyrch scrum that the ball sprang loose and Geraint Blake pounced to score.

Pentyrch struck back from the restart and added 3 points to their score with a penalty, as the hosts failed to get any continuity into their game.

In fact, the home side were clinging on to their lead despite enjoying less than 20 per cent of territory and possession, so it seemed only a matter of time before the visitors took the lead and the Penarth promotion bid stalled.

This was exactly what seemed the most likely outcome as first Rhys Lakin narrowly won the race to touch down after another Pentyrch break and then, on 74 minutes, the visiting scrum-half went over from a 5m scrum.

With the Seasiders clinging on to a 19-13 lead thanks to their three first half tries, another try would have sunk them, but in Pentyrch’s haste to seal the win, they dropped a pass between outside centre and wing and bizarrely ended up with nothing.

Chris Poole read the situation perfectly and scooped the ball up without breaking step and dashed 50m to score. From a position where they looked more like losing than winning, Penarth had claimed a bonus-point win and extended their lead at the top of the table to 3 points, as St Peters failed to gain a bonus point in their 21-5 win at Treherbert.

There’s plenty for the coaches to work on before the re-arranged fixture away at Heol y Cyw on February 12.

PENARTH:Owain George, Chris Poole, Rhys Lakin, Liam Bevan, Aaron Ellis, James Docherty, Andrew Edwards (Chris Mortimer), Richard Merrett, Gary Power, David Morgan, James Roach, Darryl Howden, Jason Allen, Elliott Smith (Chris Thorne), Geraint Blake.

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