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The 2009 Pembrokeshire Rubgy |
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Otters hold on to retain KO Cup
Narberth 14 points -
Whitland 10 points
Narberth retained the Pembrokeshire Knock Out Cup as they fended off a concerted challenge from neighbours Whitland at a damp Parc Lloyd Thomas in Crymych – but it wasn’t very neighbourly as niggles occasionally broke out, there were two punch-ups and the end product was that Whitland skipper Randall Williams received his marching orders just before the final whistle.
Forget the pre-match hype about this being just another match outside the more important league programme because it was full-blooded throughout, with neither side giving an inch, before Otters’ skipper Justin Hughes received the trophy from Jane James of sponsors Chevron.
Big hits and missed kicks
There were really big tackles and a great physicality from both teams but not the finesse one would have hoped for as the ball was lost in the tackle, especially from a Whitland side known for its ball retention, and there was little flow to the match as ref Wayne Davies made sure that he kept the lid on events.
The other difference between defeat and victory was the goal-kicking because Whitland’s points-gatherer Carwyn Jones had a rare off-night and Aled Davies just shaded him in terms of success rate to edge the Otters through and receive the man of the match award for his overall play against his former colleagues.
The tone for the evening was set from the first penalty of the match, awarded to the Borderers but reversed so that Davies could fire over a three-pointer from wide on the left – and the fly half also cut through soon afterwards but the final pass didn’t go to hand.
Martin makes his presence felt
Davies also missed a long-range penalty sandwiched in between two 40-metre penalties by Carwyn Jones before Narberth finally scored the game’s first try when a kick ahead was allowed to bounce by the Whitland defence and Otter centre Steve Martin raced away for an unconverted try.
A bout of fisticuffs in the 26th minute saw Randall Williams and Narberth prop Tom Slater receiving yellow cards and after Carwyn Jones was off-target with a third penalty attempt it was Aled Davies who again found the target to put Narberth into an 11-0 interval lead.
Carwyn Jones landed a good wide-angled penalty soon after the restart but missed an easier attempt when Narberth were penalised and hooker Dan Smith went into the ‘sin-bin’ for ten minutes.
Borderers battle back
Both teams made several changes to replace tired legs and Whitland raised their game a notch but Jones missed another penalty chance from the 22 with ten minutes left. The Borderers continued to press however, and youth fly half Jonathan Thomas showed his undoubted promise with a lovely break but had no-one in support when the Narberth cover arrived. But a try followed soon afterwards when Lee Glanville did the early spade-work and flanker Ryan Michael powered up the right wing before delivering the perfect scoring pass for Will Davies to speed over at the posts and Jones to add the extra points.
But Whitland conceded a penalty straight after the restart and Aled Davies found the mark – and worse was to follow since the Borderers had their captain sent off and play ended immediately afterwards with Narberth delighted to have retained the trophy.
The introductions for the presentations were made by Alan Jones, the District H chairman from Aberystwyth, the runners-up trophies were presented by Johnnie Jones, District H representative on the WRU, and the winners’ plaques were presented by Jane James of sponsors Chevron.
Teams:
Narberth:
Nick Jones: Tom Bonnell; Steve Martin; Richard Davies; Matthew Davies: Aled Davies; Andrew Davies: Tom Slater; Dan Smith; Justin Hughes (Capt): Chris James; Alex Jenkins: John Tennick; Richard Sharpe-Williams; Lloyd Phillips. Replacements: Adrian Killa; Johnny Morgan; Neil Davies; Dai Ebsworth; Jason Jennings; Aled Harries; Anthony Griffiths.
Whitland:
Carwyn Jones: Will Davies; Lee Glanville; Gary Evans; Gareth Morris: Jonathan Thomas; Gary Davies: Alan Proctor; Gavin Walsh; Richard Smith: Raff Williams; Carwyn Davies: Jack Mason; Ryan Michael; Randall Williams. Replacements: Romeo Colella; Andrew Howells; Tom Dinan; Andrew Jenkins; John Bowen; James Davies.
Venue: Parc Lloyd Thomas, Crymych
Referee: Wayne Davies
Touch Judges: Colin Phillips & Tony Pratt
Fourth Official: Martyn Williams
The match was sponsored by Chevron whilst the match balls and man of the match award were sponsored by Huw Hughes of H.N.O.Hughes and Associates.
Presentation photos:- by Bill Carne
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