Crymych 2nds 8 pts. Tenby utd 2nds 18
Tenby made the long trip into North Pembrokeshire to play fellow top three team Crymych. It was a dry but windy 'Parc Lloyd Philips' in which captain Neil Duffy won the toss and decided to play against the elements. Crymych kicked off and typically tore into the visitors from the outset. And with the strong wind in their favour, the 'Preseli Men' kept the Tenby boys camped on the defensive for long periods. The breakthrough soon came when the Seasiders gave away a penalty, which the Crymych number 10 converted. With their tails up, the homesters continued their pressure on the visitors and edged dangerously again into the 'red zone' with numerous phases of play by the forwards; they eventually spread the ball wide and found a gap through Tenby's defence to score out wide for the game's first try. The try was unconverted. Tenby were now eight to nothing down, but with the experience of Nicky Allen, Richard Rossiter and Justin Richards up front and Neil Powling behind, it wasn't long before the visitors rallied and turned defence into attack deep into the Crymych half. It was five minutes before half-time when Tenby finally made the breakthrough. From a solid scrum five metres out, provided by the impressive front five of Ben Cray, Nick Griffiths, Geoffrey Martin, Jazzy Thomas and Allen, number eight Richards picked up and charged under the posts to start the United's comeback. Powling easily converted, to take the scores to 8-7. Crymych were now ready for 'half-time oranges' to try and regroup, but the referee decided there was still time on the clock. A pretty poor kick off by the Maroons put Tenby again back on the front foot. From a maul on halfway, Duffy shipped the ball to Powling, who showed great pace and skill to skip through the failing defence and outstripped the covering tacklers to score in the corner. After the run-in, Powling, not surprisingly, failed to convert his own try. Tenby were in upbeat mood at half-time, with the advantage of the lead and the strong wind blowing off the Preseli Mountains. With Powling controlling play with sensible kicking and the forwards working very hard for every scrap of possession, it wasn't long before Tenby were awarded two further penalties for undisciplined play by the home team, and with Powling in top form, it proved fatal for any chance of a comeback. Again it was Tenby's hard work and ability to score from many facets of play that finally won the game. Crymych isn't a very easy place to go and get a result, but with the league trophy well in the United's sights, it looks like nobody can stop them now. Please support the Seconds tomorrow (Saturday) when they entertain Neyland at the Clicketts, kick- off 2.30 pm.