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Page 1 of 2 UNDER 9's Pontypridd 30 - 0 RhiwbinaUNDER 9's Dev. Pontypridd 20 - 10 RhiwbinaThe sky was dark and brooding reflecting the mood of the players, coaches and supporters of the Pontypridd team. Last year the sides had met twice and honours were even at one game apiece and this morning the normal light-hearted mood of the boys had turned to quiet, brooding determination…after all, this was in effect Pontypridd and the Valleys against Cardiff!
UNDER 9's Pontypridd 30 - 0 Rhiwbina The light but persistent drizzle had subsided when captain Griff ‘Greased Lightning’ Lloyd lined up his players for the kick off and from the start Carl Blackler showed his individual skill by sprinting and sidestepping his way deep into the Rhiwbina half before being tackled From the resultant ruck Jay ‘The Pocket Battleship’ Jones picked up and surged across the line to put Ponty ahead after only a minutes play. The battleships guns were blazing and Jay proceeded to score his second after 4 minutes, following constant and incessant Pontypridd pressure that stubbornly refused to allow Rhiwbina out of their own half. In the final minute of the first half the Ponty supporters were again cheering after Rhodri Smith burst through the covering defence to score Ponty’s third and provide a comfortable half time buffer. Rhiwbina were proving to be the hardest physical test of the season so far and were very physically competative throughout, even though the Ponty teamwork wasn’t quite as cohesive as in previous matches their sheer determination shone like a beacon in the gloom. The Ponty defence as usual was immense with captain Griff leading by example tackling like a demon and stopping any momentum Rhiwbina tried to build before it started. Ponty held their opponents in a vice like grip and in the 12th minute Josh Barnes crossed for Ponty’s 4th before Jay ‘the pocket battleship’ Jones completed his hat trick in the 15th minute, As the Ponty supporters finally relaxed, the players tried to step up the pace further, like the mighty All Blacks, they play until the final whistle, whatever the score. Lloyd Owens, after coming so close to scoring two tries in the final quarter finally showed a clean pair of heels to the Rhiwbina defence to score the final try in the final moments of the match. UNDER 9's Dev. Pontypridd 20 - 10 Rhiwbina Both clubs have a large squad of players and it had been decided from the start that two matches would be played to ensure all the boys played a full game. For the supporters it ‘was tension as usual’, for the players, the determination to win this game was as strong as in the first. From kick off, captain Dylan Vining and his team surged into the Rhiwbina half with the authority of a team brimming with confidence. On 4 minutes Rhys ‘Little’ Britton picked the ball from a ruck just inside the Rhiwbina half and spotting the gap sprinted for the line and scoring in the corner. Rhiwbina tried hard to respond but Ponty with resolute try line defence kept them at bay, then on 9 minutes, in a carbon copy of the first try Rhys ‘Little’ Britton again picked the ball from the ruck and outsprinted the defence to score the second. Half time saw a change of players on both sides, and when the battleship Jay Jones scored quickly after the kick off Ponty looked to be on for a comfortable victory. Rhiwbina though had other ideas, a quick break down the touchline was only stopped by a superb tackle from Chris Temple, however, a minute later Rhiwbina were on the score sheet with a well taken individual try and shortly later the same player crossed for his second, making the score 3-2. The supporters may have been close to panic, but the players showed their mettle and courage, dug deep, and repulsed the surge of enthusiasm Rhiwbina now threw at Ponty. Their defence regained it’s cohesion and the quality of their tackling and determination not to be beaten resulted in Carl Blackler crossing for the final score of a well contested and competitive match.
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