Dinas Powis RFC 81 Old Penarthians RFC 0

THE parochial nature of rugby in Wales bestowed an interest in this contest that would not normally be present in a match between two sides separated by 69 league points prior to kick-off.

The weather was perfect for running rugby and the "Villagers" of Dinas Powys ran in 13 tries under the early spring sunshine during the destruction of their near neighbours.

Many of the home supporters had witnessed heavy defeats at the hands of the Old Penarthians in former years, and more recently the "Villagers" themselves had struggled to be competitive within the league system.

Those dark times were forgotten as a powerful, talented and pacy team set about securing victory and maximum bonus points to cement their position at the top of the division by scoring six first half tries, including a hat-trick by left wing Jim Wiltshire.

The final try of the three involved the powerful player having to not only outflank the Old Pens defence, but also having to hurdle a stray Yorkshire terrier that had wandered onto the pitch.

The first half scoring also saw second row Gary Ahmed score a try on his first team debut and centre Sonny Driscoll score a brace of his own.

With fly half Gavin Cooper adding three conversions, the half-time score showed the home-sides dominance with a healthy 36-0 lead.

The visitors were brave and resolute in defence and it was taking outstanding handling rugby by the home-side to hold such a lead.

The three-quarters were presented the opportunity to perform due to the endeavours of the forwards who provided a plethora of possession for their teammates.

The half-time interval allowed coach John Dunleavy to encourage scrum half Nathan Williams to exploit gaps near the breakdown and the second half saw the outstanding half back score four tries.

The powerful centre Sonny Driscoll added a further try to secure his hat-trick, and co-centre Dai Lloyd and right wing Rhys Evans chipped in with a try each.

Replacement fly half Dan Evans added five conversions to conclude the final scoring at 81-0.

The final whistle was blown prematurely as Old Pens player Rob Adams suffered a dislocated hip and the officials and coaches of both sides did everything possible to support the stricken player until the arrival of the paramedic and ambulance crews.

The Dinas (2nds) Dingos won impressively in a league fixture at Fairwater. Four tries courtesy of Tom Paterson, Ashley Wilson, Rory Brown and James Smith, and three conversions by Rhys Williams saw the visitors score 26 points to the home teams seven.

The side, resurrected this season, remain unbeaten proudly atop of their division and are still in contention for both the East District and Mallet Cup competitions.

There are tricky fixtures ahead for the 1st XV, the first of which is the away trip on March 28 to Caerau Ely, who always prove awkward opponents.