DOWLAIS 0

PENARTH 10

THE match began on a beautiful day up at Dowlais Top, following a minute's silence observed to mark the passing away of Kevin Bush, Penarth RFC Club President, on January 18, after a long illness.

The funeral service will be held at St Albans Church, Splott, at 9.45am on Monday, January 30, followed by cremation at Wenallt Chapel, Thornhill Crematorium at 11.15 am.

There will, of course, be a similar observation before this Saturday's game at the Athletic Field and a full appreciation of the part Kevin Bush played in the history of Penarth RFC will follow.

As for the game, this looked a lot better for Penarth, but possibly only because Dowlais hadn't the slightest idea how to mount an attack.

On the other hand, they had all sorts of techniques to draw on defensively, which is why we shouldn't complain too much that the Seasiders managed only the two tries.

However, that didn't stop this being a thoroughly bizarre match that all the statistics suggest Penarth should have won at a canter.

A deeply strange first half, where Dowlais got into the Seasiders' half on just one occasion and never once got into the 22, finished with no score, which tells you everything and nothing about what actually happened.

Part of the explanation lay in referee Gavin Roberts' approach to the home side's defensive repertoire.

Having rigidly policed them around the ruck and maul for the first ten minutes, he simply gave up and let them get on with it.

This meant that Penarth's maul, their main source of attacking momentum, was brought down 100 per cent of the time and effectively nullified.

To be fair, Mr Roberts rediscovered his authority and whistle early in the second half, as the Seasiders briefly took a grip on the game they were never to relinquish.

First, a Chris Mortimer break was carried on by Steve Roberts, leading to a penalty for offside.

The ball was tapped quickly and worked rapidly to the left wing where hooker Geraint Evans was lurking ready to score his sixth try of the season.

Now Penarth were in the ascendancy as James Crothers launched another counter-attack.

Again Dowlais were found offside and this time Danny Brookman took the quick penalty and fed openside Rob Pearce, who took a tidy angle and accelerated impressively to the corner to bring his own try tally for the season up to three.

There, after 49 minutes, the matter rested. In the remaining half hour there was time for Mike Clare and Dowlais lock Keith Winstone to spend ten minutes in the bin and for an injured Danny Brookman to be led from the field following a heavy tackle.

There were positive points to note. A makeshift front row with two hookers held up very well and, in fact, the Seasiders had no real problems in the set piece all afternoon.

The back three of Steve Roberts, James Crothers and Andrew Bradshaw menaced throughout and were unlucky to be denied sufficient room to stretch their legs.

Overall, this was 80 minutes in the convalescent ward after the traumas of last week and the good news is that the 3 points keep Penarth at the top of the table, admittedly in second place courtesy of Penallta's 19-try 125-0 defeat of Dinas Powys.

However, greater challenges than Dowlais lie in wait, as only six points separate the top five clubs.

The Seasiders' next three league games are against Penallta (1st), Cilfynydd (3rd) and Bedlinog (5th); win those three and things will certainly look a great deal rosier than they do today.

The key, as ever, lies up front and only a committed nine-man display will prevent Penallta's backs from wreaking the sort of havoc we witnessed at Ystrad Mynach back in October.

Probably the most bizarre aspect of next Saturday's game is that Penarth need the three points more to keep the other contenders at arm's length than for any realistic chance of beating Penallta to the championship.

Whatever the motivation, the Seasiders are again entering the most important fortnight of their recent history and the prize is still there for the taking.

Penarth: Roberts, Bradshaw, Connor, Edwards, J.Crothers, Brookman (Docherty), Mortimer, P.Bennett, Evans, Seymour, Allen, Gooding, Hopkins (Ball), Clare, Pearce.