YOUTH BB League

Llantwit Fardre 11 - 17 Pontypridd Youth (1)

On Saturday Ponty senior youth visited local rivals Llantwit Fardre for a local Derby Welsh youth league match.

Ponty were without star prop Marc Jones, who was on Schools duty, full back Rhys Simms on holidays, and wings Parker and Williams who once again had work commitments. Llantwit were without Blues hooker Matthew Howells who was on duty for the Llantwit senior team.

The game started brightly for Ponty, who had the advantage of the wind and the slope and should have taken an early lead, when a fine back move saw Ponty create a clear 2 man overlap on the left deep in the Llantwit 22m, but overcomplicated passing saw the ball knocked on, when a simple direct run and pass would have resulted in an easy score. Ponty were dominating territory and possession, however poor decision making on a slippery surface together with dogged defence from Llantwit, kept foiling Ponty's attacks.

Against the run of play Llantwit were able to take the lead midway through the first half, when good play by their halfbacks, with Paul Tampsett in particularly good form, opened the Ponty defence. The move was stopped on the edge of the Ponty 22m by stand in fullback Rhys Lloyd, who in his first ever appearance in a number 15 shirt put in a try saving tackle, only for the referee to correctly penalise Ponty, when hooker Sam Oliver attempted to steal the ball on the floor from the side of the ruck.

Llantwit's Matthew Morgan converted the simple penalty to take a 3 - 0 lead. This seemed to kick-start a lacklustre Ponty, and after the forwards won good line out ball, Ponty were able to launch an intricate back move, unleashing powerful centre Dan Dearden wide on the left, Dearden powered through four attempted tackles on a 40 metre run to cross wide on the left for a fantastic try that went unconverted.

Ponty continued to dominate possession, but with the infuriatingly Ponty failing to read the strength of the wind and slope of the pitch correctly, Ponty kicked good possession dead on no less than 5 occasions, allowing Llantwit the luxury of a scrum way back up field. Ponty were really struggling to turn pressure into points during the first half, and even with hooker Sam Oliver taking two steals against the head at the scrum, Ponty still managed to knock on, or throw a forward pass, putting themselves back under pressure.

It was inevitable that one of these needless mistakes would eventually come back to haunt Ponty, and it did right at the end of the first half. Ponty turned over a Llantwit Ruck deep in the Ponty half, scrum half Studley spun out a great pass left and Ponty immediately had a clear 2 man overlap, frustratingly, prop Dale Pugh was stood in centre, and he opted to take the ball into contact rather than release the fliers outside him. With the forward support not there, Pugh was penalised for not releasing and Llantwits Morgan was able to score a second penalty to take a half time lead.

Llantwit 6 Ponty 5

The Ponty side had a severe talking to at half time and some fresh blood was introduced in an attempt to pick up the tempo of the game. The second half started well for Llantwit and they forced Ponty into conceding a scrum 10 metres from their own try line.

However great defence from the Ponty side, with scrum half Sam Studley in awesome form, saw every Llantwit move stopped in it's tracks, with eventually Ponty fly half Smith able to clear his lines with a massive touch finder into the wind, when the ball was turned over. This period of pressure seemed to stir Ponty into action, and when Ponty were able to win quick ball near their own 22, Sam Studley went on a rampaging run up the left wing, bowling over three tacklers, before eventually being halted deep inside the Llantwit half.

Dafydd Gristock and Dean Maisey were on hand to keep the move going, before the ball was spun to Ponty centre Lewis Egal. Egal took the direct route driving to within 10 metres of the try line, before passing to Lewis Smith who dummied his way to the try line, and although tackled used his power to stretch out and place the ball on the try line under the posts for what looked like Ponty's second score, only for the referee to be unsighted and award a scrum instead.

Smith was not to be denied long however, and within 5 minutes, got Ponty's second try, wing Billy Waters went on a fantastic run before being stopped on the half way line, great support work from Studley saw the move continued before great running and handling from Lloyd, Dearden and Egal allowed flyhalf Smith to side step and dummy his way over for a try under the posts that he converted to regain the lead for Ponty. Llantwit Fardre Youth 6 Ponty Senior Youth  12.

This score seemed to give Ponty the impetus to finish the match off and Ponty were quickly on the attack once more. Smith launched a huge up and under, with Ponty centre Dearden outjumping the Llantwit full back to tap the ball into the hands of no8 Dean Maisey with the try line a mere 20 meters away and nobody at home in defence, however frustratingly for Ponty, Maisey couldn't hold the tap, and a simple 7 points went begging.

Ponty continued top pile on the pressure. Replacement Ponty lock Owain Kingsbury showed great skill to catch a difficult kick on his knees and launched a great counter attack. Nathanial Williams carried the ball on, and some great pick and drives from the forwards, with Maisey, Pugh and Thomas to the fore, saw Ponty drive deep into the Llantwit 22.

Studley carried the ball on before popping a pass to replacement prop Dean Brown, who showed great hands and skill to hold the difficult pass before throwing a dummy then feeding fly half Smith who crossed wide out for his second try that went unconverted. Llantwit Fardre 6 - Ponty 17.

With the game entering its last five minutes Llantwit were determined to get another score, and it came from another Ponty mistake. Ponty wing Ryan Owen needlessly opted to take a quick throw in at a line out deep in the Ponty 22. The move had been well read by Llantwit resulting in Ponty full back Lloyd receiving man and ball. Once again Ponty were penalised for trying to play the ball on the floor and Llantwit opted to kick for the corner. From the 5 metre line out Llantwit were able to maul over wide on the left, with Karl Jones claiming the try that went unconverted.

Final Score Llantwit Fardre Youth 11 Pontypridd Senior Youth 17

Man of the match was Lewis Smith who narrowly edged out the impressive Sam Studley and tenacious Billy Waters, for the accolade.

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