WRU Division 4 Central East

GWERNYFED 10  CEFN COED 8

Gwernyfed got back to league rugby with only their third home game of the season. Heavy rain overnight brought a nervous dawn but with the skies brightening the local derby with old friends Cefn Coed was on. The conditions were obviously poor but both sides produced an excellent tight-fought match, well refereed by the man in the middle.

Gwernyfed took control of the scrum throughout the game the front row dominating added to which a welcome return of the experienced Richard East from long term injury to the second row bolstered the heft exercised by the pack. Line outs were well contested by both sides despite the difficult conditions the weather being miserable and windy all afternoon.

It was Gwernyfed who got on the score sheet first, centres Tom Morgan and Rod Williams carrying powerfully until youngster Kyle Davies popped up in support to carry a couple of defenders over the Line for Gwernyfed’s only try, ably converted by scrum half Gegs Williams from wide out.

Cefn Coed defended well, as did both sides throughout, as Gwernyfed pressed, but despite getting over the line three times, no try resulted as that attackers were twice held up and the vigilant ref correctly spotted a double movement to frustrate the green, white and blacks.

It was Cefn who slotted a penalty next, returned in kind by Williams for Gwernyfed bringing the score at fifty minutes to 10-3. The status quo maintained until the final minutes when a rare incursion by the visitors saw a line out ball bobble loose for the eager Cefn flanker to gather and crash over in the corner.

With the resultant conversion going wide, Gwernyfed again defended well in the last couple of minutes with the final score finishing with a narrow two-point home win , nonetheless, a well-deserved victory for the Talgarth side. Both sides handled well and defended superbly and as sponsors for the day, Vaughan and Vaughan solicitors identified the back row of Sam Stephens, Lewis Bowen and Scott Rees as having fantastic games with a huge defensive performance, Stephens narrowly taking the Man of the Match award.

Three home games so far, three wins and the next three games at home. There is a growing confidence as the second half of the season half of the season beckons, with the lengthy Christmas break also allowing injured players to recover, the two Meredith boys, Lewis and Ryan, returning from long term injuries had run outs that bolstered the now mainly fully fit squad for next week’s home game against Old Penarthians. There's real competition for places for coaches Roberts and Reynolds to work with.