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Apart from Mother’s Day, there was another big event in the calendar for Pontypridd Under 10s team – the District Under 10s Tournament, held this year at Beddau RFC. The day started off well – most of the mothers were happy with their flowers/chocolates/CDs and all of them were ready to support the team. The weather was dry but a cold wind was blowing across the pitch.
Pontypridd Vs Beddau Ponty drew the first opening game against Beddau, a pretty much unknown quantity side the sides hadn’t faced each other for some time. The game started really well for Ponty, with the some excellent rucking, mauling and handling gave the backs a good run. Ponty opened the scoring with a try from Morgan “the try machine” Burgess and converted by Lewis “lucky boots” Allen. Beddau came back to equalise the scores in the second half – where it stayed evens until the coach brought on the newest addition to the squad – Jamie “just bring it” Chapman. With a scrum just 10 metres out, Adam “Pocket Rocket” Ashford quickly passed the ball to Jamie who did a great run across the field and offloaded a great pass to “Lanky” Lucas Hickman who scorched over for a try. Converted by Lewis once more. Sad to see though that Jamie had to be carried off with a suspected broken ankle after his great run. Get better soon Jamie. The final score was Ponty U10s 14 Beddau U10s 7 Captain – Daniel “danger man” Griffiths. Allens UPVC windows and doors Man of the Match – Daniel Griffiths Pontypridd Vs Rhydyfelin Ponty continued where they left off from the last game and started at a great pace. The standard of ball handling, rucking and tackling was easily the best they have shown all season. The rewards for this hard work came when Shaun “braveheart” Bowditch flew through the defence and was just about over for a great try when he popped the ball to his team mate Morgan to take the honours instead. Nice one Shaun. Lewis converted once more. A great display followed, with the forward from both sides rucking really well, and Ponty making phase after phase – offering up quick ball to the backs each time. It was truly a joy to watch. This ended up with Morgan going over for another great try, converted by Lewis. Ponty showed that they could also mix it in defence mode as well, as Rhydyfelin cam back strongly in the second half. The Ponty boys battled hard and kept Rhyd out. Well done to all the forwards who did a brilliant job. Final score was Ponty 14 Rhydyfelin 0 Captain – Rhys “the growler” Grainger Allens UPVC windows and doors Man of the Match – “Beefy” Ben Konderla Pontypridd Vs Treorchy Ponty versus Treorchy has always been a great game of rugby over the years and this one was no exception. Ponty had the superior structure and form with once again great passing and forward work that gave us a lot of ball early on. However, Treorchy were good at spoiling and pinning us down. They didn’t let us run the ball as much as we had done in the previous games. A quick Treorchy try from a lineout shook the boys. Once more a breakaway try from the middle of the line allowed Treorchy to build up a lead. Morgan scored a well worked try in the second half to lessen the gap. Lewis converted. The game was on a knife edge – with some chances being lost by our boys which could have changed the game altogether had tries been scored from them. Treorchy came unstuck a little when the massive pressure of Ponty caused a dangerous tackle on Adam Ashford, which forced him off the pitch (and out of the tournament). However, they survived until the final whistle. Final score – Ponty 7 Treorchy 19 Captain “Lanky Lucas Hickman Allens UPVC windows and doors of the Match – Adam “Pocket Rocket” Ashford Pontypridd Vs Gilfach Goch As Ponty had started the tournament, they had also drawn to play the last game of the day. However, it was all in the bag Treorchy by this stage who had already claimed the silverware. This game was to decide the second place. But it was clear from even before the kick off that the boys had taken the loss from Treorchy really hard. The coaches were having trouble in lifting their spirits and getting them focussed for this next battle. With a dwindling squad due to injuries there were a lot of last minute changes to the positions, it meant that over half the team were playing in positions that weren’t used to. Added to this was the fact that this was the 4th game they had played in the day then there were a lot of tired legs on the park. The boys started slowly and didn’t have their usual spark about them. Despite a great effort Gilfach eventually came out on top. Final score – Ponty 0 Gilfach Goch 14 Captain – “Beefy” Ben Konderla Final word The coaches would like to thank all the players and parents who braved the cold winds all day to support the team. A special thanks goes to Greggor “madman” McCain as he was forced not to play in the entire tournament over a mix up at the WRU with his registration card. The boys played their hearts out in the first 3 games and many lads suffered injuries along the way (Adam, Jamie, Adam Ox, Shaun) , but it didn’t dent their pride. The standard of play in terms of tackling, rucking and ball handling in those first three games was easily the best of the tournament. It was such a shame to see the boys efforts not being rewarded. The entire coaching staff (and also the parents) were very proud of all of the team, and the effort they put in to the day. Squad on the day was: Rhys “the growler” Grainger, “Lanky” Lucas Hickman, “Beefy” Ben Konderla, Shaun “braveheart” Bowditch, Morgan “the try machine” Burgess, Jamie “just bring it” Chapman, Lewis “lucky boots” Allen, Adam “Pocket Rocket” Ashford, Daniel “danger man” Griffiths, Harley “the Jailer” Jones, Adam “Ox” Morris, Jasper “the joker” Powell and Greggor “madman” McCain. Ponty Under 10s is proudly sponsored by Allens UPVC windows and doors. Add as favourites (33) | Quote this article on your site | Views: 415
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