Neil Powling left Fishguard on Saturday afternoon a very happy man, with a 100 per cent kicking rate, kicking seven out of seven conversions for his successful United side, and in addition scored the first try of the afternoon, giving him a personal tally of 19 points. The United second string made the journey to Fishguard in a positive and jovial manner, as they always do for this fixture and the tour of the Gwaun Valley that follows. All members of the team expected a tough match and an even tougher trip home, visiting many of the county's hostelries on the way home. Never before have so many departed and so few returned! With the home side struggling to field a full team of 15 men, it was Tenby who took the initiative from the kick-off and started to secure good ball up front, allowing Neil Powling at outside half to dictate things behind and set his threequarters in motion. And sure enough, after only five minutes, it was the outside-half who crossed under the posts to give the United their first try of the afternoon, which he also converted with ease. From the restart, Tenby continued to work their opponents and forced them into making errors and allowed the Tenby pack to win turnover ball. Some strong running with the ball in hand from number 'eight all the pies' Justin Richards saw the big forward beat four or five would-be tacklers and gain some 40 yards, before he ran out of steam and was forced to off-load to supporting runners Nick Allen and Mike Evans. The move continued with all the forwards getting in on the act, before Neil Duffy popped up to receive the scoring pass and cross under the posts, with Powling now successful with his second conversion. Tenby had now built up a head of steam and after some good defensive work in their own half, they were able to capitalise on another error from the home team which saw forwards and backs combine with some excellent inter-passing down the field. This period of play saw the likes of Scott McLaughlin, Del Brace, Gareth Nock and youngsters Barry John and Tom Smith put in some fine tackles and also link well together to gain territory into their opponents' half. With this gain in territory, the forwards took over to continue the move further down field, with strong running from Damion Hanlon, Nick Griffiths, Robert 'Jazzy' Thomas and Gethin Williams resulting in prop Ed Pritchard going over for a well-earned try, again converted by Powling. Soon after scoring his try, Pritchard was conveyed to hospital via ambulance with a suspected back injury. The injury was caused when Ed pirouetted out of a tackle and somersaulted twice in mid-air before landing flat on his back. One member of the crowd was seen to raise a board with 5.9 on it and commented it was like watching Strictly Come Dancing! Despite initial concerns, however, Ed made a full recovery and even managed to rejoin the boys on the bus before they left Fishguard rugby club! After a lengthy delay to allow the 'injured' Ed Pritchard to receive professional treatment, Tenby once again took control in the second period. Del Brace made a clean break in midfield, allowing the spritely Tom Smith to gain valuable yardage down his wing, before linking with Gethin Williams, who also made good ground. Quick ball allowed Scott McLaughlin to enter the line and go over unopposed for yet another converted try. Tenby continued to work hard in defence and were determined that they would keep a clean sheet. Nicky Allen, Damion Hanlon and Nick Griffiths put in some fine tackles to keep the pressure on up front and when Fishguard attempted to move the ball out wide, this defensive pressure was kept up by the likes of Gareth Nock, Scott McLaughlin, Tom Smith and the superb Barry John. His effort in the tackle area and his keenness to attack at every opportunity earned him the man-of-the-match award in the bar afterwards. The final quarter of the match saw Tenby close out the game in much the same way as it had started, with some good running moves from both forwards and backs. Nick Allen got his reward for a hard- working performance, scoring two tries, and big number eight Justin Richards also rounded off a good afternoon with a touchdown out wide, to give Powling at least one challenging kick for the afternoon. The Seconds now move into a busy league period over the next few weeks and with Haverfordwest losing last weekend, Tenby are now in a good position to challenge at the top of the league. Tomorrow (Saturday) they entertain local rivals Pembroke Dock Harlequins at Heywood Lane, with kick-off at 2.30 pm, and as many supporters as possible are encouraged to go along and support the boys. The following Saturday the Seconds will travel to other local rivals and league challengers, Pembroke, for what promises to be the game of the season, with both teams having an eye on the league trophy this campaign. Anyone wishing to join the Seconds is more than welcome to meet the boys at training on Thursday evenings at 7 pm at Heywood Lane. All current players are urged to attend to ensure that the forthcoming games are prepared for fully. Team fielded: Scott McLaughlin, Tom Smith, Gareth Nock, Del Brace, Barry John, Neil Powling, Neil Duffy (capt.), Ed Pritchard (Dean Richards), Nick Griffiths, Damion Hanlon, Robert Thomas, Gethin Williams, Nick Allen, Mike Evans, Justin Richards.
