WITH the 1st XV match v Gwernyfed RFC scheduled to take place at Cwrt-y-vil postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, it was the senior Men’s 2nd XV that took centre stage on a weekend when the fixture lists were again decimated due to the inclement weather.

2nd XV captain Alex Lewis again worked his magic and managed to assemble 19 players for the Cardiff & District Ron Lucock cup match against a team they had played only a few weeks previously and their luck wasn’t to improve on this occasion as they were defeated 45-10 at the Reservoir Field, although the score-line hardly reflected the commendable efforts of the team.

2nd XVs have been increasingly rare in recent seasons, but the Old Pens has been fortunate to have the committed captaincy of ‘Try Machine’ Lewis who has not only been able to persuade and cajole players to turn up on a Saturday but has also been able to increase the number of 2nd team players training during the week which augurs well for the future.

The first half saw both teams fully committed in both defence and attack but the home side’s greater ball retention and fewer missed tackles was the difference, and they were worthy of their 21-0 half-time lead.

It wasn’t that the visitors didn’t have opportunities; they were camped in the Barry 22 for long periods and won regular lineout ball through the excellent Jack Margetson and carried hard through Matt Stingl, Dan Godfrey and others but their inability to hang on to the ball proved costly.

The second half started in much the same way as the first. It took Barry nearly 10 minutes to add to their advantage, but the Old Pens were definitely in no mood to throw in the towel and they bounced back from the first score of the half to score two of their own in just a couple of minutes. Hooker Gareth Boulton was on hand to score after a series of very effective drives in the opposition’s 22 and scrum half Gareth Clancy, who continues to belie the years to put in very effective performances, sniped over from a few metres out.

The second half saw the introduction of 1st XV regular Sam Hall and his younger brother Adam from the replacements bench, the latest brothers to represent the Club, and both put in first class cameos.

Captain Alex Lewis, playing in an accustomed position at outside half, clearly had his charges fired up but it seemed the more determined they were and the harder they pressed, the more mistakes they made and the home team required no second invitation to capitalise and scored 3 further tries before the final whistle for the eventual 45-10 victory.

The 2nds are lucky to be able to call upon a mixture of the experienced and the up and coming players, with Peter Harry, Neil Margetson, Lee Brennan and Anthony Kemp typical of the former, whilst the likes of Rhys Thomas, Ryan Davenport, Rob Adams and Andrew Granville comprise the latter. More players are always welcome, whatever their experience and can be assured a very warm welcome.

The newly-formed Old Pens Mariners Senior Ladies continued their development on Sunday when they entertained the more experienced Porthcawl Ladies RFC . The visitors were good value for their 27-5 victory, but the new team is making huge strides and showing great potential.

Next weekend sees both 1st & 2nd Men’s XVs in action at Llandaff RFC on Saturday with the Senior Old Pens Mariners Ladies XV again scheduled to meet Porthcawl RFC Ladies on Sunday.