Rumney away 21st March 07
Rumney 33 Croesyceiliog 24
Croesy travelled to Rumney for this rearranged league match and came away feeling this had been a missed chance to cause an upset against one of the top sides in the league.
Croesy started badly conceding a try in the first minute followed by a penalty to go 8-0 down. They hit back with a short range try from flanker Gavin Howells after a period of sustained forward pressure. Other chances went begging as Croesy camped on the Rumney line for the next 10 minutes without a score. It was Rumney who were next to score with a second try against the run of play.
After more Croesy pressure the home side were penalised, Entwistle kicked for the corner and Howells grabbed his second from the resultant lineout drive. The remainder of the half was end to end stuff with the Rumney backs always looking dangerous but Croesy turning defence into attack well. On one such occasion No. 8 Tim Hanks had a storming run down the touch line feeding inside to hooker Simon Jones before the move eventually broke down.
The half ended 15-10 to Rumney but within minutes of the restart the impressive Gavin Howells made a telling break which took play to within a couple of yards of the Rumney line. Rumney killed the ball and Entwistle dived over from the tapped penalty. He added the conversion to give Croesy a deserved lead. This was short-lived as good hands from the Rumney backs sent them over for a try wide out.
Croesy were soon back on the offensive and a driving lineout was dragged down illegally just short of the home line. Their second row was yellow carded and Croesy chose a scrum from the penalty from which Tim Hanks scored a pushover try, again converted by Entwistle. But with Rumney down to 14 men and with their noses in front Croesy failed to capitalise. Rumney regained the lead virtually from the kick off with another try created by their pacey backs. A drop goal added to Croesy's woe and a further try in the dying minutes sealed the win for the home side.
Despite the defeat this was a creditable performance against one of the top sides in the league who had put 50 points on Croesy at the start of the season. Time is running out for Croesy to stave off relegation but more performances like this will at least give them a fighting chance.
Croesy side:
1. Anthony Gardner (Marc Watkins 40 mins); 2. Simon Jones (Rob Taylor 40 mins); 3. Justin Smith; 4. Richard Gibbins; 5. Jim Sargeant; 6. Jake Nash (Mark Smith 40 mins); 7. Gavin Howells; 8. Tim Hanks; 9. Ritchie Williams; 10. Phil Daunter (Shane Williams 10 mins); 11. Rhodri Davies; 12. Matthew Entwistle; 13. Scott Copsey; 14. Andrew Paraskeva; 15. David Davies.
Scorers: tries: Gavin Howells (2), Tim Hanks, Matthew Entwistle plus 2 conversion.