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Page 1 of 2 Under 12's Pontypridd 5 – 24 Ystrad Rhondda
Ystrad set their stall out from the start, pushing Ponty back into their own twenty two from kick off and there Ponty remained for most of the first half. Eventually the pressure told and despite some determined defence by Pontypridd, Ystrad’s huge centre Adam Rosser crossed to give them an early lead that was converted by Bobi Sheppard. Key injuries early on disrupted Pontypridd, who once again found themselves on the back-foot, eventually conceding another try to Adam Rosser that was once more converted by Bobi Sheppard. Ystrad clearly had the ascendancy and used their dominant possession to good effect, creating another well worked try before the break for Corey Shortman. Finally as the half time break neared Pontypridd finally came alive and some determined play by the forwards saw them camped on the Ystrad try line as the half time whistle went. Half time score 19-0. Impressive for Pontypridd in the first half were Nathan Payne, Steffan Jenkins, Chris Jones and Mickey Jones. The second half saw a more determined Pontypridd, but again it was Ystrad who scored through a try against the run of play by Bradley Watkins. But this half Pontypridd showed more cohesion in attack and for much of the half camped themselves in the Ystrad half. Despite increasing pressure by the Pontypridd forwards, Ystrad’s defence held firm and it took a bit of slick handling by Joel Raikes to set Dale Hughes on one of his elusive runs. Dale dodged in and out of the Ystrad players before feeding Liam Williams on the wing who showed good pace and power to dive over in the corner to score the best try of the game despite close attention from the Ystrad defence. With a minute remaining it was too late for a comeback, but the Pontypridd players can be proud of their second half performance and had they played with equal determination in the first half it would have been a much closer game. Impressive for Pontypridd in the second half were Liam Williams, Garin Rossiter, Joel Raikes, Michael Connor and Dale Hughes. Congratulations must go to Ystrad who showed great determination throughout and have vastly improved over the last two seasons. Congratulations also to Alex Logan who was making his debut for Pontypridd. With a spate of injuries to Geraint Jones [arm], Will Thomas [foot], Joel Raikes [ankle], Jordan Jevons [foot] and Joshua Whiles-Pritchard [ankle], Pontypridd had to make a number of unplanned replacements that meant that several players were asked to play in unfamiliar positions. The coaches would like to thank the players along with the parents for their patience and support during the disruption, but it did provide the opportunity to see how certain players would cope in these positions whilst under pressure. This will be the last occasion [injuries aside] that the coaches intend to make wholesale changes and from next week on each player will be asked to play in certain set positions, so that both the players and parents will know where they will play each week. Ystrad try scorers: Adam Rosser (2), Corey Shortman and Bradley Watkins.
Bobi Sheppard kicked two conversions. Pontypridd try scorer: Liam Williams. Preece Removals Pontypridd Man of the Match: Liam Williams Pontypridd team: 1. Will Thomas, 2. Jordan Jevons, 3. Johnathan Griffin, 4. Michael Connor, 5. Oliver Dalley, 6. Ben Larsen, 7. Nathan Payne, 8. Steffan Jenkins, 9. Joel Raikes, 10. Dale Hughes, 12. Joshua Whiles-Pritchard, 13. Morgan Rees, 14. Chris Jones, 11. Liam Williams, 15. Mickey Jones. Subs: Gareth Cleaver, Garin Rossiter, Geraint Jones and Alex Logan.
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