Bedwas seal cup and league double
Wanderers 31
Bedwas 62
“Some days you have to accept that you were second best. Bedwas are thoroughly deserving of their league and cup winner successes” commented manager Mark Gould
Paul Matthews head coach: “Tough day yesterday with a disappointing scoreline. Congratulations to Bedwas. Great to see that the players showed pride in the jersey and battled all the way to the end though”
“Disappointed with our ability to convert field position into points but the boys never gave up and they worked tirelessly to the final whistle” added forwards coach Huw Dowden.
On a bright day a good crowd assembled to see if Bedwas would clinch the league title and they were not disappointed. After some early aerial tennis the Wanderers were put on the back foot by a yellow card to Dylan Lawley after a clash of heads. The visitors took full advantage. Kicking to the corner they set up a driving maul for the first try 0-7. That was followed, as the penalty count went against the home side and with a man still in the bin a second try from another driving lineout doubled the lead 0-14. The Wanderers settled a little after being restored to 15 but with lineout possession a problem they struggled to get a real foothold in the match. Bedwas extended their lead soon afterwards after a neat cross field kick set their outside backs away and they raced in for the 3rd try 0-19. A yellow card for Bedwas gave the home side some heart and at last the Wanderers gathered some momentum but luck often deserts you when you need it most and an interception in the visitor’s half resulted in the 4th Bedwas try and a scoreline of 0-26 with half an hour played. With the half heading for its end the Wanderers finally found their touch. Gaining possession in the visitors 22 the forwards mounted a series of close quarter drives taking the play right to the line. The Bedwas defence, which was so good all afternoon, finally succumbed and when the ball was moved wide Finn Davies crashed over. Gruff Ab Ieuan added the conversion 7-26. The score galvanised the home side and they ended the half on a high. A carry from Sam Reed set up play and a cross kick from Zak Fifield landed in the arms of Alfie Price who forced his way over for the second try. The conversion went wide and the sides went into the break at 12-26.
Any hope of a second half turn around was put to bed as Bedwas re-exerted their dominance. Two tries from well executed moves put the game to bed at 12-36 and with the championship in the bag the visitors started to play with a real confidence. Despite digging deep in defence the Wanderers seemed powerless to stop the tide and scoring at regular intervals including two from deep in their own territory. A second yellow added to the woes as Bedwas ran in more tries keeping Dan In the scoreboard busy as the scoreline reached 12-62 with very little time left. Finally and with the Wanderers fresh legs making a decent impact there was something to cheer for the home side faithful. A move off a lineout (yes one we won!) resulted in play set up in the Bedwas 22 and when the ball was flashed back blind Price was on hand to score his second try. Ab Ieuan converted 19-62. A 4th try followed after a good kick chase by Ed Thomas ended in the visitors conceding a 5 metre scrum and Ashley Bissett picked up off the back of the scrum to cross the line 24-62. The final moments ended with another try for the home side. A turnover in midfield by Bissett set the Wanderers away. Carries from Vinnay Cleak and then Cai Ifans took play deep and Kyle Bradbury was on hand to finish the move to at least send the Massiv to the bar with a little more reason to enjoy their pints. Final score a well deserved win for the visitors 31-62.
Wanderer’s scorers
Tries: Finn Davies, Alfie Price (2), Ashley Bissett, Kyle Bradbury
Cons: Gruff Ab Ieuan (3)
Massiv MOM: Dylan Lawley
Management MOM: Dylan Lawley
Match pics: https://flic.kr/ps/c7gzd