Athletic XV 2010-11

It was the visitors too that opened the scoring with a well taken early penalty goal.

From then on however it was one-way traffic, with the Drovers scoring fourteen unanswered tries of which ten were converted.

With seven tries either side of half-time, and with a display of running rugby, it was a joy to watch – the inter-linking between backs and forwards, the ability to keep the ball alive and to avoid looking for contact, and the desire to play the game with a smile on the face are all trademarks of teams produced by head coach Geraint Williams. This team, despite some high profile departures, continued where it had left off at the end of last season and the players are to be commended for the way they have responded to the coaches’ demands for more of the same.

In fairness, the Otters continued to play throughout the game and at no time, despite the scoreline, did their heads drop and for that they too are to be commended.

The Drovers will face sterner tests in the coming weeks but this result will give everyone the encouragement they need to face anything that is thrown at them.

Tries: Ioan Davies (5), Wyn Jones (2), Emrys Evans (2), Dylan Thomas, Dylan Williams, Joe Morgan, Emyr Richards (2); Cons: Matthew Bailey (9), Emrys Evans

The Drovers travelled to The Estuarymen in good heart after the comprehensive if a little one sided romp against The Otters the previous week.

This was to prove to be a much closer contest however and the visitors knew they were in a game from the off, with the bigger and stronger pack of the home side dominating the possession.

The Drovers stuck to their task well however and at no stage did the match look as though it would run away from them – and indeed, right until the final whistle the result was in the balance and The Drovers could have claimed an unlikely win.

As it was, the stronger team on the day held sway and ran out narrow winners although the visitors, pressing hard at the end, when awarded a kickable penalty with the last play of the game, took that option to secure a hard worked bonus point.

Scorers for The Drovers were Ioan Davies with a try (to add to his five from last week), converted by Matthew Bailey, who also kicked a penalty. The final penalty kick, securing the very important bonus point, was slotted by try scorer Davies.

All in all then a curate’s egg of a game – disappointment at the loss but delight with the bonus point.

Next week The Drovers are on the road again and travel to Swansea to play Bonymaen – another tough game but on this showing, one they can face with relish.

Try: Ioan Davies; Con: Mathew Bailey; Pens: Mathew Bailey, Ioan Davies

Tries: Ioan Davies (2), Dylan Williams (2), Wyn Jones, Arwel Davies; Cons: Ioan Davies (4)

As we enter the first period of the season that is disrupted, even at grass roots level, by the showcase “Autumn Series”, Drovers coach Geraint Williams was just delighted that his charges were able to have a run out. His loyal, faithful and committed squad have suffered badly as victims of their own success and games are frequently subject to last minute cancellations on the part of opposition teams not relishing the task of a visit to Churchbank, thus making a mockery of the challenge for League honours.

Full credit then to the Estuarymen who once again fielded a full strength team giving this League clash the due deference it required.

Both camps felt at the end that they had delivered, with the visitors outscoring the home side by four tries to one and securing a bonus point win in the process.

The Drovers scored two tries either side of half-time, and led at the break 14-5 due to tries scored by Dylan Williams and Martin Jones, both converted by Matthew Bailey – the home side scored an unconverted try.

Rhys Richards and Dylan Williams were the Drovers’ try scorers in the second half – the only other score being another Loughor unconverted try.

Visiting coach Geraint Williams was “once again delighted with the overall performance” as his “depleted squad continue to pull together and show just how much can be achieved with determination, team spirit and a desire to play with a smile on our faces.”

Well done to Geraint and his squad who continue to triumph in the face of adversity.

Tries: Dylan Williams (2), Rhys Richards, Martin Jones; Cons: Mathew Bailey (2)

Following the gloom that descended over Welsh Rugby following the display at the Millennium Stadium on Friday night, what a joy it was to see two teams playing competitive, physical, enjoyable rugby.

The visiting Drovers, struggling for numbers, made the short trip to near neighbours Ammanford with a squad of only eighteen fit players, and that number boosted by the fact that the Youth game was called off and some youngsters were drafted in.

Head coach Geraint Williams was ecstatic with both the performance and result as his squad dug deep into their resolve and put on a show to be proud of.

The game was very competitive and there was a strong forward battle, with the home side conceding nothing and with no quarter being asked or given.

In the end, despite the depleted numbers, the visiting squad, for it was very much a squad effort, outscored their opponents by five tries to one. Those that crossed the whitewash were evergreen Emrys Evans, right wing Gareth Morgan (2), the silky running Dylan Williams and the debutant Mark Morgan. Four of the five were converted by Williams for a match haul of 13 points.

With a scratch team and with forwards having to play as backs the head coach emphasised how pleased he was with the result but, more importantly, with the collective effort which gave rise to it.

The Drovers face Swansea side Bonymaen under lights at home on Friday night and this result sets that game up nicely.

For the first time in over four months the Drovers were delighted to act as hosts to a visiting team that was prepared to turn up and play. Not since October 2nd 2010 has that happened, and even allowing for the Autumn Internationals and the bad weather, the inability of teams in the division to raise a team prepared to travel to Churchbank is an issue that must be addressed if the league is to continue to be meaningful in any way.

For the long-suffering fans then this was a day of joy and it was great to see the clubhouse buzzing after the game in anticipation of the Wales v Scotland game that was very much an afterthought for those involved in the game at Llandovery.

As the Drovers had not played at all since December 11th it was understandable that the players needed some time to adjust to the realities of what was a truly irresistible physical confrontation. The visitors, with a side strengthened by the inclusion of a sprinkling of first team players, were looking to claim a victory at Churchbank – an event as rare as hen’s teeth. The Drovers however were having none of it and, whilst the free-flowing rugby normally associated with the home side was curtailed, the defensive effort was superb and once again, on the day, the better team won.

The scoring was relatively even with both sides scoring two tries and converting one – the difference between the two was a well-taken penalty – ill discipline proving expensive for the visitors.

Really it was the story of the three Dylans, with the side being led ably by Dylan “Rusty” Jones, the first try being scored by hard working forward Dylan “Dilly” Thomas and the second by the flying machine Dylan “Pwllcalch” Williams. The extra points for the Drovers came courtesy of the boot of the diminutive Matthew Bailey.

Head coach Geraint Williams, whilst delighted with the win, was even more enthused that after such a long break his team was back playing and winning – “credit to a resolute and brave Ammanford,” he purred.

What a fantastic advertisement for local, amateur rugby this fixture proved to be, with rugby out of the top drawer, interest for the entire eighty minutes and no quarter asked or given by either side.

The first half, whilst not a festival, was certainly a feast of open running rugby combined with some bruisingly abrasive forward encounters that had the purists amongst the spectators purring with pleasure.

On three occasions the visitors took the lead with tries, only for the Drovers to equalise with three of their own. The first try on both sides went unconverted whilst the others had the two points added so that as half-time approached the score was 19-19, only for the visitors to take the lead with their fourth try which was again converted. At the break the visitors held a slender one score lead and, given that they had been playing with a significant breeze in their favour, the Drovers’ fans were confident that the deficit could be clawed back.

The first 25 minutes of the second half saw the scorer untroubled as both sides fought for supremacy – the Drovers making good use of the wind to contain play in the visitors’ half of the field, but the defence of Dunvant holding firm.

The stalemate was broken when, in a rash moment in what had otherwise been a clean competitive game, the referee was forced to dismiss a visiting prop from the field for butting. The balance of the game changed, and the Drovers ran in two more tries, one converted, and added a penalty.

All the points in the second half then went the way of the Drovers and, whilst the wind was significant, it was not the most significant aspect in determining the final outcome.

Tries were scored for the Drovers by Dylan Jones, Dylan Williams (2), Daniel Davies and Ian Jones with the conversions and penalty being kicked by Ioan Davies.

Head coach Geraint Williams commented on “how well the side played in the face of a tough and highly competitive, physically large team that came and wanted to play rugby. We are still in with a shout of the title,” he added, disappointed that next week the return of the six nations once again disrupts the availability of rugby at this level.

Playing on a wonderful Spring day, conditions underfoot were ideal for running rugby, despite there being a strong breeze blowing throughout the game.

Drovers head coach Geraint Williams paid tribute to the visitors who travelled and honoured the fixture even though they only had a bare fifteen players and were, indeed, so short of front row players that the whole game had to be played with passive scrums.

Despite being nullified in the area of the scrummage, a traditional strength in the game for the Drovers, the home side proved much too strong for the visitors in all areas of the game and, in total, ran in eight tries, six of which were converted.

In the first half tries were scored by Arwel Davies, Dylan Williams (2) and Ross Davies. Three were converted making the score at half-time 26-0.

Sadly the game was marred as half-time approached when one of the visiting team suffered an unfortunate broken ankle and play was held up for over 20 minutes whilst the injured player was attended to.

When play resumed the Drovers faced the breeze and needed a revised game plan which they duly executed with aplomb, and they duly replicated the first half scoring with tries by Aled Walters (2), Ioan Davies, who with his six conversions had a match haul of 17 points, and Dylan Williams who completed his hat-trick. Again three tries were converted.

As the game was a “double-header” the points were awarded for both the home and away games and help the Drovers with their drive for the coveted league title as the season approaches the business end.

Last Saturday saw the Drovers involved in an eight try spectacular, scoring all the points without reply. This Saturday it was more of the same with the unusually dry spring pitch at Churchbank yielding another nine tries – this time however they were shared, nearly equally, between the two teams.

The Drovers started well and were out of the blocks and almost out of sight early in the first half when they raced into a sixteen point lead courtesy of a try by Arwel Davies and eleven points from the boot of elder brother Ioan, with three penalties and a conversion.

The visitors showed real resolve however and dug deep to score a penalty and a converted try to make the score 16 – 10 at half-time. It was then, very clearly, game on, when they pegged the score back further with the first try of the second half and the margin reduced to one point.

With the visitors getting too close for comfort, and with sharp words from head coach Geraint Williams ringing in their ears, the Drovers stepped up a gear and scored three converted tries courtesy of Geraint Price and Ioan Davies (2) without reply.

Once more the visitors showed their backbone and spirit with an unconverted try before Dylan Williams scored a fifth for the Drovers which Ioan Davies once more converted.

The final score went to the visiting team and a 69 point feast of good, clean, open rugby came to a close with both sets of spectators willing for more. Ioan Davies claimed the man of the match award with a personal points haul of 29 points.

Next week sees the Drovers at home for the third successive week-end and more stewards may be required for crowd control.

The Drovers won the toss and elected to play into a strong breeze that made the bright afternoon at Church Bank chilly for the loyal bands of supporters for both sides.

It was the home side that scored first, with a try by right wing Mark Morgan converted by outside half Matthew Bailey, and a second scored by full back Dylan Williams again converted by Bailey. Before half-time Morgan scored his second of the afternoon but the visiting side kept up their spirits with a well taken try of their own, to make the score at the break 19 – 5.

With the wind at their backs in the second period the Drovers cleared periods of visiting pressure with long kicks upfield and it was largely the accompanying territorial dominance that led to the scores which had an air of predictability. The first try was scored once again by Williams and the last two, making a total of six, scored by Morgan. The last one Bailey converted but once again the visitors had the last word with another try of their own.

Morgan then, in only his second full game, showed that he has the talent, the strength and the determination to make the right wing berth his own.

Back’s coach Alan Morgan said, “I’m delighted that all of the hard work of the forwards is rewarded by the pace, guile and all-round footballing skills of my young charges”.

The Drovers knew that a home win with a bonus point against Bonymaen would be sufficient to hand them the title for the fourth consecutive year. The visitors however had different views and indeed kept their title hopes well and truly alive with a comprehensive win and a bonus point of their own with their fourth try just after half-time.

When they added a penalty goal to make the score 38-3 it looked as though the Drovers might be on the wrong side of a big score but they dug deep and scored four tries of their own in a splendid rearguard action that secured a losing bonus point.

This set up the position of the Drovers needing to win both of their remaining fixtures with bonus points to hang on to the title. Anything other and Bonymaen, the current league leaders but with only one game left to play, might still have a say.

The Drovers set off for Narberth with lofty ambitions and on a glorious day succeeded in overcoming a larger but less mobile home side by playing the attractive brand of rugby that is their hallmark. In total they scored 12 tries and 9 conversions, whilst the home side managed 10 points of their own.

The tries were shared equally across the team but mention must be made of Gareth Morgan, who scored a hat-trick in a five minute period in the first half that effectively settled the result.

The Drovers will win the league outright if they win with a bonus point against their final opponents – Whitland, on a date yet to be determined. A win without a bonus point will leave the result in the hands of the mathematicians and the law-makers!

The Drovers – cup winners for the last three seasons – travelled to the “Waun” knowing only their best efforts would be sufficient to overcome a side that they know so well from their regular league encounters.

In good spirits after their exceptional win in their last game the Drovers were however missing a number of their key players and their back-line showed a number of changes in both personnel and playing position to accommodate the reshuffle that was required.

The home side had by far the bigger pack and it was clear from the outset that they were intent on using this area of superiority as their principal – indeed as the match unravelled, their only – method of winning. They bullied their smaller opponents and took the Drovers completely out of their stride such that, completely against their normal philosophy, the boot was the dominant factor in the first half.

Ioan Davies kicked three penalty goals and Joe Morgan scored a try whilst the “Waun” replied with a converted try of their own, making the score at half-time 14-7 in favour of the visitors.

The quality of the rugby improved in the second period as the home side drew level, firstly with their second converted try and then again, after Arwel Davies had scored his first of the afternoon for the Drovers, they scored their third.

That was the end of the home side though as the referee’s patience eventually ran out and a long overdue yellow card reduced them to fourteen men.

The Drovers scored their third try through Matthew Bailey which was converted by Ioan Davies, and Arwel Davies scored his second and the Drover’s fourth and final try with the last move of the game.

The final against Whitland takes place on the neutral grounds of Carmarthen Athletic on Thursday 5th May with kick off at 7.15 p.m.

For the second match in succession the Drovers scored 31 points and, for all bar the 15 Whitland players, it surely seemed like enough, but on this occasion it was not to be.

The Drovers were, once again, the smaller side physically, and yet despite this their pack performed magnificently at scrummage time even though the supply of lineout ball wasn’t quite so regular.

It was no surprise that with such forward superiority the majority of the first half was played in Whitland territory and that the first try, scored by no. 8 Dylan Thomas came from a push-over. The second try was a training pitch miracle, working Dylan Williams free to score under the posts for Ioan Davies to convert.

The score at half-time was 12-0 to the Drovers and it looked like more of the same in the second period when first Emrys Evans, and then Matthew Bailey, scored tries, with Davies again converting the second to open up a clear 24 point lead.

Whitland replied, to their credit, with a converted try of their own before Emrys Evans crossed for his second try of the evening, again converted by Davies, and the game looked secure.

The trailing side however were not to be outdone and scored a second converted try of their own to give the score some respectability. They were not prepared to settle for respectability, however, and with just three minutes remaining on the clock they were given just a glimmer of hope when an attacking move led to a Drover being yellow carded and a penalty being awarded.

With quickness of thought the penalty was kicked across field for the opposite winger to catch and score, and again the try was converted. The Drovers kicked off, Whitland gathered, and, knowing the Drovers were a man down, moved the ball wide and from 75 metres out scored an extraordinary try which, when converted, put them within a score of a win.

The Drovers kicked off again and in a carbon copy move Whitland ran in another extraordinary try which, despite missing the conversion, secured a most unexpected and quite unlikely victory, together with the title ‘Carmarthenshire Tyres Cup Winners, 2010-11’.

It was left to the Drovers to wonder what might have been, what actually had happened, and to ponder on how they had managed to secure defeat from the jaws of victory.

They meet Whitland once more in the final game of the season to determine the outcome of the final league positions, knowing that a bonus point win will secure the league title outright – it is unlikely that they will lose again in such fashion but their confidence will have taken a knock.

Whitland welcomed Llandovery to Parc Llwyn Ty Gwyn on Tuesday night for their final league match of the Carmarthen Tyre Services Championship. Llandovery needed a bonus point victory to snatch the championship from Bonymaen, but after Whitland’s come back in the cup final the previous Thursday to spoil their party, they were in no mood to give them the championship either.

Once again Whitland produced another comeback as, from being 19 points to five down at half-time, not only did they win, but outscored the Drovers by five tries to four to totally spoil Llandovery’s season – all in the space of five days. Full credit to Whitland, though, for their never-say-die attitude and total commitment for the full 80 minutes.

Llandovery opened up a 12-point lead after winger Ian Jones and centre Emrys Evans scored tries and fullback Iwan Davies converted one. Whitland’s only points in the first half came from an unconverted try by winger James Criddle. Llandovery finished off the half with their third try by centre Emrys Evans, again converted by Davies, to give a half-time score of 19 points to five in favour of the visitors.

Whitland scored two unconverted tries early in the second half, one by James Criddle, his second, and the other by prop Gareth Lloyd, before Llandovery second row Dylan Morgan increased his side’s lead with an unconverted try to take the score to 24-15.

With just six minutes left on the clock, winger James Criddle crossed for his third try, which outside-half Nico Setaro converted to cut Llandovery’s lead to 24-22. From the restart, Whitland drove deep into the visitors’ half and when the referee awarded a penalty, up stepped young Setaro to kick from the touchline and send the home supporters wild as he put his side into the lead by a point.

There was still time for another kick-off, which Whitland took, and with the pack taking the ball up, the ball was kicked, but half charged down and up stepped flying wing James Criddle to gather and, with a huge gap in front of him, there was only one outcome – yes, his fourth try under the posts. The conversion by Setaro signalled the final whistle and Whitland had won yet again by 32 points to 24.

The winner on the day was the game of rugby, played between two very good sides and a great game to watch for both sets of supporters, if only a little bit better for the home support.