KO Cup and Friendly Rugby:

 

Borderers ease home against battling Saints

 

Whitland moved into the second round of the KO Cup with a deserved win in an absorbing clash with St Davids at Parc Llwyn Ty Gwyn which was beneficial to both clubs since The Borderers were able to check out some of the players in the new regime, including influential skipper Liam Price on his return from Tenby United, and The Saints welcomed Ryan and Iwan McVeigh from Fishguard.
 
The Borderers made an excellent start as they built up a 24-5 scoreline just before the interval but then The Saints added a second score to make it 24-12 before adding two further scores to draw level – but Whitland lasted the pace a little better to ease though by 43-34 before they play in Division Two (West) in this new campaign, whilst The Saints could build on a good previous campaign in Division Four (West).
 
The Whitland try scorers were winger Ellis Payne (2), flanker Albie Redpath, skipper Liam Price, scrum half Morgan Edwards and outside half Lee Rees (2), with Connor Court slotting three conversions and Payne notching the other two-pointer.
 
For The Saints. It was centre Ben Joyce who grabbed their first try and flanker Rhys Price added their second, converted by winger Bob Froy – and they pulled level as Price claimed his second score and fellow flanker Nathan Foster added their fourth try, converted by Froy.
 
But The Borderers added further tries by the influential Rees and St Davids responded with a brace from new skipper George Raymond, who will surely lead the team well from his No 8 berth – and in the final analysis it was game that was beneficial to both teams, enjoyed by their hardy bands of supporters!
 
Whitland: Leo Bonham: Thomas Hughes; Liam Price (Capt); Connr Court;  Ellis Payne: Lee Rees; Morgan Edwards: Trystan Bowen; Thomas Iraia; Dorian Harris: Gavin Smith; Jaxon Green:  Osian Thomas; Albie Redpath; Connor Toland. Replacements: Jonathan Pillips; Jamie Styles; Arwel Beynon; Aaron Thompson; Jamie Thomas; Charlie Watson; Jack Jenkins; Mike Georgiou.
 
St Davids: Ben Joyce: Iwan Davies; Kian Ladd; Luke Bamford; Bob Froy: Kieran Owen; Owen Swaine: Ethan Griffiths; Aled Williams; Iwan McVeigh: Ryan McVeigh; Iestyn Owen: Rhys Price; Nathan Foster; George Raymond. Replacements: Aaron Foster; Evan Curtis; Daf Davies; Dan Murphy; Gethin Bateman; Mike Gurney; Ben Perkins; Cameron Sapsford.
 
 

Friendly Matches:

 

Seasiders make a solid start in friendly tussles

 

Tenby United have taken plenty of positives from two demanding pre-season fixtures at Heywood Lane, with Carmarthen Quins and Cardiff Met providing exactly the level of opposition the Seasiders were looking for ahead of the new campaign.
 
The first test came against top-tier SRC side Carmarthen Quins, who ran out 49–12 winners. Despite the scoreline, Tenby competed well against a strong Quins’ outfit and refused to shy away from the physical challenge. Dan Colley and Josh Hamer crossed for the home side’s tries, with Madoc Evans adding the conversion to Hamer’s score.
 
The fixture was also a particularly memorable occasion for 17-year-old Madoc Evans and 18-year-old Alfie Luger, who both made their first senior appearances for Tenby. The pair have come through the full pathway at Heywood Lane and have spent the summer training full-time with the Scarlets first-team squad, making their senior debuts another significant step in the development of two exciting young players.
 
A week later, Cardiff Met provided another stern examination, with the visitors fielding a strong combination of players from last season’s Premiership squad, their BUCS University side and new students joining the programme this summer. An entertaining and evenly matched contest finished 28–28, with Harry Rossiter, Iwan Duffy, Jordan Asparassa and Cam Broadhurst scoring Tenby’s tries. Rossiter added two conversions, with Bowyn Clark also successful with two kicks from the tee.
 
Tenby will be extremely pleased with the value gained from both matches, with 38 players used across the two fixtures. That depth will hopefully ensure both the 1st XV and Athletic teams can compete next season.
 
Attention now turns to another double-header at Heywood Lane next Saturday. The Athletic will host Old Illtydians in a repeat of last summer’s friendly, before Narberth travel to Tenby for the Pembrokeshire Cup as the competitive action gets underway.