Blaina home 1st Dec 07
Croesy 20 Blaina 13
Croesy defied atrocious conditions to get back on the winning trail with a 20-13 home win against mid-table Blaina. After Woodland Road was unsurprisingly declared unfit it took a herculean pre-match effort to enable the game to go ahead on the North Field pitch across the river. First "leaves on the line" had to be raked off as they were obscuring the pitch markings and then a mid morning downpour had to be swept and forked away.
But the effort was to prove worthwhile as Croesy keep up the pressure on the top 3 in the league. Captain Matthew Entwistle defied the conditions to give a flawless display with the boot, kicking 2 penalties and converting both tries. Wing Drew McGee almost opened the scoring after Croesy broke through midfield and fed the ball wide but he was hauled down just short of the line. It was an Entwistle up and under which set up the first try as the Blaina full back spilled the ball over the line allowing centre Shane Williams to pounce. Croesy took a 10-0 lead and had the upper hand but some poor tackling allowed Blaina back into the game with a try, before a penalty gave Croesy a 13-5 half time lead.
Croesy turned around to play with a howling gale. The weather took a turn for the worse as the heavens opened and it went as black as night. To make matters worse Croesy conceded an early try and then gave away a penalty to allow Blaina to equalise. Despite having the majority of the possession Croesy struggled to take advantage and it wasn't until the final few minutes that they scored the match winning try. Second row Mark Smith returning from injury had a massive game and won a crucial lineout on Blaina ball and instigated a driving maul. Blaina were penalised and Croesy kicked for the corner where they again won the lineout and drove over the line for flanker Gavin Howells to score.
On Saturday Croesy take on local rivals Cwmbran at the King's Head ground with not only league points but also the annual Jack Walker Cup at stake. Croesy have held the cup since it was first put up by the Walker family in memory of former club chairman and president the late Jack 3 years ago. But Cwmbran have been in good form recently, including a 22-7 win at New Tredegar on Saturday, so this promises to be a great match.