Crymych 21 Croesyceiliog 19
3 September 2005 - Welsh Cup Preliminary Round
Croesy only had themselves to blame for this disappointing defeat to Division 4 West side Crymych. Playing down the slope and with the wind in the first half they failed to make the most of their chances after taking an early lead through an Anthony Axford try converted by Matthew Entwistle. Crymych equalised against the run of play and a combination of wrong options, bad handling and poor passing together with some stern defence from the home side meant that the Cockerels turned around to play against the elements without the comfort of a lead. Axford almost grabbed a second before half time but was bundled into touch in the corner. One excellent break out of defence saw prop Marc Watkins charge up over halfway and seemingly put wing Rhodri Davies away only to be called back for a forward pass.
Scrum-half Ritchie Williams replaced the injured Nathan Powell at half-time. Crymych took the lead with a converted try early in the second half and Croesy were playing catch up from there on. Further changes saw Matthew Entwistle go off with a recurrence of a rib injury to be replaced by Gareth Roberts playing his first game since breaking his ankle last season and new recruit Jacob Nash replace Jim Sergant. Rhodri Davies closed the gap with a long range try which saw him outpace the cover to score wide out. David Davies who moved from centre to outside half missed the difficult conversion attempt.
Croesy were now having the lion's share of possession but were unable to create any scoring opportunities despite all their ball. A killer blow for the Cockerels saw Crymych right wing latch onto a wayward pass and run half the length of the field to score under the posts. At 21-12 and with only 10 minutes remaining Croesy now had a mountain to climb. They threw everything at the home side who soaked up wave after wave of attack. Second row Lee Williams had some storming runs but a lack of composure and inability to retain possession meant the Cockerels were unable to keep up any concerted pressure. Replacement prop Gareth Cowan, on for the industrious Watkins, was ankled tapped just short of the line after he had combined well with Williams. Eventually Gareth Roberts squeezed over for a try converted by Davies but for all their effort they couldn't add to their total and Crymych deservedly move into the next round.
Croesy showed glimpses of what they are capable of but there is clearly a lot of work for coaches Chris Garrett and Andy Peacock to do to drill the forwards into a unit and improve the decision making and execution. On Saturday, Croesy go into league action with a trip to Brynithel.
Team: 1. Marc Watkins (replaced 70 mins by Gareth Cowans) 2. Anthony Axford 3. Justin Smith 4. Jim Sergant (replaced 50 mins by Jacob Nash) 5. Lee Williams 6. Chris Williams 7. Bobby Pike 8. Richard Gibbins 9. Nathan Powell (replaced 40 mins by Ritchie Williams) 10. Matthew Entwistle (replaced 55 mins by Gareth Roberts) 11. Chris Haddock 12. David Davies 13. Stuart Fitzgerald 14. Rhodri Davies 15. Richard Lewis
Scorers: Tries Anthony Axford, Rhodri Davies, Gareth Roberts, conversions Matthew Entwistle, Davis Davies.