Wednesday 11th May 2011
Llanishen 12  Pentyrch 35

And so for the final report of the season.  This was Pentyrch's last game of 2010/11 and was their final league game of the campaign which if they won, would enable Pentyrch to claim second spot in the league.  The Llanishen coach told me after the game that their game plan was to stop Pentyrch's offloading game and to try and keep the game tight by not allowing Pentyrch to move the ball and play the game that Pentyrch played in the two teams first league encounter in September.  He also told me that at half time, with the score reading 9-6 to Llanishen that he simply asked his team to keep playing the way they had in the first half which was going exactly to plan.  I must admit that Llanishen were the most agressive side during the first half and did tend to shut Pentyrch down whenver they could and this, coupled with the fact that Pentyrch had not really moved out of first gear and the 14 to 5 penalty count against Pentyrch did sway the game slightly in the home sides favour with Pentyrch only having 2 penalty kicks from Ryan Ali to their name to the 3 Llanishen had put over.  However, the second half saw a very different Pentyrch side take to the field.  The first two scores were a penalty to either side making the score 12-9 to Llanishen after 5 minutes and it was then Pentyrch began to play the way they could.  The forwards by now had began making much more agressive runs into the Llanishen defence and by doing so were able to break the first tackle and off load the ball the support runner which meant Pentyrch were now starting the make 30 yards each phase.  The first try came from some great phase play from Pentyrch which saw both backs and forwards linking and which saw Rhys Owens crash over to make the score 16-12 to Pentyrch after Ryan Ali got the conversion.  Again Pentyrch attached Llanishen every time they got the ball and again, backs and forwards moved the opposition both left and right only for the ball to be knocked on 10 yards from the LLanishen try line.  From the resulting scrum, confusion in the home defence meant the ball left the scrum but was not picked up by either 8 or 9.  Instead, Rhys James pounced on the ball and sprinted the 10 yards to the try line to make the score 23-9 after Ryan Ali once again converted with his obscene new boots.  Pentyrch were by now making some changes and allowing the 4 under 16 players to take the field who once again, all played extremely well with Ben Chandler in particular making some great runs in the backs with Martin DeTorres also playing well and Dan Hill and Owain Hill also contributing effectively in the pack.  Again Pentyrch got into the Llanishen 22 and from the resulting line out, captain Adam Scanlon crashed over although this time the conversion was a little too far out which meant the score was 28-9 coing into the final 10 minutes.  Pentyrch kept playing the same way as they had done all half and again some great running from both backs and forwards allowed Rhidian Roberts to break through to score the games final try to make it 35-12 at the end in Pentyrch's favour.  Once again Pentyrch played under 16 players in readiness for next year and they all played well.  The team however as a whole showed exactly what they could do in the last 35 minutes of the game and if they could play like that for the full 70 minutes then there would not be many sides that would claim a victory over Pentyrch.  A second place finish in the league then for Pentyrch who have finished the season on a high after 4 straight wins from their last 4 games which included 2 league wins and now everyone can have a well deserved rest for a few months before the pre season training sessions start again in July.  Well done to you all - "It's Been Emotional".

Saturday 7th May 2011
Penarth Youth 15  Pentyrch Youth 18

This was always going to be a tough game and so it proved.  Pentyrch had beaten Penarth earlier in the season but Penarth won the Cardiff and Vale cup match between the 2 teams a few months earlier.  Pentyrch had been playing well recently and had put together a few good displays and started this game very well and at a high tempo.  It was Penarth that scored first however after one or two missed tackles and they took the lead 7-0 after 15 minutes. Penarth then stretched their lead to 10-0 with a penalty but Pentyrch scored a great team try through Will Adams Jones to make it 10-7 at the break. Penarth scored another 15 minutes into the second half after a charged down kick to make it 15-7 to the home team but Pentyrch kicked two penalties through Ryan Ali to make it 15-13 going into the last 10 minutes.  Penarth then had a line out in the dying minutes on their own 5 metre line but Adam Scanlon stole the ball and the forwards drove him over in the corner to make the final score 18-15 to Pentyrch.  Once again Pentyrch fielded under 16 players in this game and both Dan Hill and Ben Chandler played extremely well when they took the field.  Pentyrch travel to Llanishen for their final game of the season on Wednesday and a win will mean they finish second in Blues B (i) which will be a great end to the season.

Tuesday 3rd May 2011
Pentyrch Youth 34  Pontypridd Youth 29

Pentyrch played Pontypridd today in an under 17/16 match so both teams could give current under 16 players a taste of youth rugby.  Pentyrch started well and scored early on through outside half Ryan Ali to make the score 5-0 and soon after scored another try through under 16 player Garmon Roberts to make the score 12-0 with Ryan Ali getting the conversion. Pentyrch went further ahead through Jordan Hughes and with Ryan Ali getting the conversion it began to look a little one sided at 19-0 although that didn't reflect the game to be honest.  Pontypridd made some changes and hit back with 2 converted tries to make it 19-14 at the break which was probably a fair reflection.  Pentyrch went further ahead with another Ryan Ali try to make it 26-14 but Pontypridd  hit back with 2 unconverted tries to make it 26-24 going into the final ten minutes.  Pentyrch then edged further in front through Alex Fenton but Pontypridd pulled one back to make it 31-29 with a few minutes to play.  Alex Fenton then kicked a last minute penalty to make the final score 34-29 to Pentyrch.  Credit to all the under 16's who played as they did themselves and their coaches proud.  Our future is looking bright.

Saturday April 30th 2011
Pentyrch 15 Pontyclun 7

Today's game was a development game so both sides could allow their under 16's to play youth rugby. The game was split into 3 thirds of 25 mins and the final third was designated an under 17 game which would allow some of the younger under 16's to take the field. Pontyclun started the first period with their older boys but Pentyrch decided to mix the team up a little and included under 16 players from the start. Both sides started well and tried to play an expansive game although both found the strong wind difficult to negotiate at first. Pontyclun scored first with a converted try to make the score 7-0 to the visitors but then a loose line out throw from Pontyclun was collected by Josh Roberts who sprinted 30 yards to score a great try to make the score 7-5 to the visitors. The second period saw both sides bring the older under 16 players on and both teams played well although Pentyrch did have the greater possession and territory. Following a number of phases within the Pontyclun 22 the Pentyrch captain Adam Scanlon broke through the defence to give Pentyrch a slender 10-7 lead going into the final period. Again Pentyrch had the greater possession and territory in this period and the ten under 16's who were now on the field played extremly well throughout with a number of the younger boys going close to scoring. Pentyrch continued to play through the phases and when the ball was moved quickly along the line to left Wing Martin DeTorres 10 minutes from time he outsprinted his opposite number to touch down in the corner making the final score 15-7 to Pentyrch. Again, the under 16's played well throughout the game and it was nice to see the older boys looking after their younger team mates and helping with their development. The futures bright, the futures black and white.

Sunday 17th Apr  Malvern 10s

Malvern 10's

Saturday 9 April 2011
Pentyrch 0 Llanharan 22

This was meant to have been an East District cup match but as Pentyrch had postponed the original game from 19th March to 9 April, the East District informed Pentyrch that they had broken a rule they were not aware of and would now be thrown out of the competition. A lesson to all would be team managers here I guess is try not to break any rules you don't know exist ! Anyway, as this was now a friendly game Pentyrch youth sent their captain Mike Cooper and tight head prop Aled Rees to play for the firsts and it was nice to hear they both had fantastic games and also, Jake L-J went to play for the seconds as he likes the no train play policy they have adopted. The fact it was now a friendly meant Pentyrch could allow all 24 available players to have a run for the youth and the coaches decided that everyone who had turned up on the day would have a good run and so they did. LLanharan had notched up some good results during the season and were known as a well drillled side who played 15 man rugby and so they proved. Pentyrch were 10-0 down at half time but had many opportunities to cross their opponents line and on many occasions had their opponents on the back foot but a very determined defence, coupled with some last gasp knock on's or turnovers 5 yards out meant Pentyrch went into half time without a score. The second half saw Pentyrch play with the wind and a chance to get some points but a LLanharan break and a Pentyrch missed tackle meant the visitors extended their score to 17 points to nil with barely 5 minutes played of the second half. Although Pentyrch had their opportunities they again came up against a stubborn defence and were turned over or lost the ball in contact to ensure the visitors try line was unbreached. Ollie Young did cross the try line with about 10 minutes to go but unfortunately the referee had already blown up and the try was never awarded. Llanharan extended their lead shortly after to make it 22-0 to the visitors and that's how it ended. Again, possibly Pentyrch made too many changes too quickly in the second half but as in previous games, giving 24 players a good run was more important than winning a game that was now a friendly. Well done to Llanharan though they did deserve it on the day and we wish them well in the semi finals.

Saturday 2 April 2011
Tonyrefail 19 Pentyrch 12

Although over 20 players were unavailable for this fixture, 3 of whom were playing for the seniors, Pentyrch were still able to take a bare 15 players to Tonyrefail which would allow some of the younger players a chance to play a full game of rugby. Both sides opted for uncontested scrums due to not having experienced front rows and both agreed to play open rugby as much as possible. Tonyrefail scored first with a well worked try to make it 7-0 but Pentyrch soon hit back with a nice blind side move which saw Will Adams-Jones go over for an unconverted try to make it 7-5 with 20 minutes gone. Tonyrefail managed to increase their lead with another converted try which saw Pentyrch trailing 14-5 at the break. Pentyrch soon hit back with a converted try of their own through Luis Tobenas to bring themselves within touching distance at 14-12 but Tonyrefail managed to get another unconverted try to make the final score 19-12 to the home side. Pentyrch had 6 players playing out of position for this game but played as a 15 man team throughout. In defence Pentyrch worked for each other and in attack the support play was fantastic. Pentyrch did have a few opportunities to win the game but the last pass, or the bounce went the wrong way and to be honest, perhaps a draw would have been a fair reflection of the game. Scanners did a great job as captain and Rhys and Ryan controlled the game like a pair of old heads. Alas it wasn't to be on the day but with a squad of 35 players its not about winning every game, its surely about keeping as many players as we can enjoying the game and hopefully moving them forward toward playing for Pentyrch seniors. A disappointing result but many positives on the day from this young Pentyrch team. The quote of the day was from the referee. Prior to the game the referee had told Tonyrefail that the number 8 could not pick up from an uncontested scrum, which was a French rugby union directive apparently. Pentyrch's first try saw Ollie Young pick up from the base of the scrum which led to a try and when the Tonyrefail coach complained to the referee, the ref said it wasn't the number 8 who picked up from the scrum it was the outside half so everything was ok. Ollie was playing 8 of course but couldn't find the number 8 shirt prior to the game so he put the number 10 shirt on. Absolute quality !

Saturday 12th March 2011
Pentyrch 17 Abercwmboi 24

Although Radyr and Plas Mawr schools were both in action today, Pentyrch were still able to field a good side for a friendly game against Abercwmboi. Unfortunately, Ben Morris suffered a fractured/dislocated shoulder in the first minute of the game so I didn't see the match but I am able to give a full report of my visit to the hospital. After knackering myself running to Nick Stallard's house for gas and air (only to be told he wasn't in), I decided to take Morris to hospital myself in my makeshift Ford Focus Ambulance and we left the ground about 12.45 p.m. Having spent many an hour in hospital over the years getting my strapping cut off after a game, I knew that it would be empty at 13.00 p.m. and explained the position to Morris who was by now moaning about how many pot holes I was driving over on the Llantrisant Road. When we got to the hospital it was packed ! I therefore advised Morris to scream loudly when we entered reception in order to try and move us up the queue a little and Morris duly played the game. After listening to the receptionist discussing how best to file the medical records with her colleague and not taking a blind bit of interest in me or more importantly I suppose, Morris, we proceeded to book in. I then realised the clock was suggesting a two and half hour waiting time period, and worried that I may miss the start of the Wales game which was due to kick off at 17.00 p.m. I decided to take action. I advised the triage nurse that Morris was going to die shortly as his fingers had gone numb and his arm was hanging off which prompted her to go and speak to a colleague. Five minutes later the name Benjamin Morris was called to room 2 and I proceeded to push him (he was in a wheelchair) through the double doors and into room 2. A nurse duly arrived and I asked her for the best pain killers she had, as I had a headache, and also asked if there was anything for Morris. The nurse returned with 6 white tablets of varying sizes and strengths and gave them all to Morris, which I was a little annoyed about as my headache was getting worse, and Morris duly sank the lot. I asked the nurse if the tablets would start working soon and she said no ! I therefore entered into a plea bargain and against the doctors advice, we wheeled in a cylinder of gas and air which I had only taken twice before whilst waiting for Amy and Ben to be born. Morris had the first go and duly sucked in as hard as he could. After 56 more sucks Morris confirmed that the severity of the pain was subsiding and duly asked me if I wanted a go on the sucker (although I couldn't understand what he was saying as his mouth had gone dry). Seeing how much gob was left on the tube however I decided to give it a miss although I did ask the nurse if I could have my own sucker to which she replied 'sod off'. We were then moved out of room two and into the treatment area where I proceeded to discuss youth rugby with a nurse who's son played for Pontyclun. We then decided to help Morris up onto the bed and the doctor arrived. The doctor that came had obviously had a fractured/dislocated collar bone himself and knew the pain that Morris was in as he immediately ordered the nurse to get a hypodermic needle and a bottle of morphine. Although i was disappointed that Morris did not want to share of any of his medication I was relieved that there was a good chance I was going to see the game. The doctor proceeded to empty the contents of 6 syringes into Morris right hand and the conversation went something like this:

Me: "How's it feeling now Morris"
Morris: "How's what feeling"
Me: "Your shoulder"
Morris: "What"
Me: "How's your shoulder feeling now"
Morris: "What"
Me: "Do you know where you are"
Morris: "Where"
Me: "Hospital, has the pain gone"
Morris: "Yes"

I then decided it was time for a well earned fag break to the disgust of the casualty staff and went outside. Morris was then wheeled off to Xray where the nurse asked Morris to straighten his arm for her to take an Xray. Easy to say when you're eating a sandwich with both shoulders in their respective sockets I guess. After returning from xray the doctor advised that he would be putting Morris to sleep in order to put his shoulder back in and that Morris would be out for at least 2 hours. I asked the doctor whether he felt I would be able to watch the Wales game but he didn't answer as he could not have heard me. The doctor then proceeded to inject Morris with more drugs and told him to count back from 1,000. Morris then asked if he could have an easier number to start with and the doctor suggested 100 which Morris agreed to. By the time Morris had reached 65 he was gone although he only shut one eye which was weird. The doctor then told Morris 'not to fight it' and Morris duly closed the other eye on about 55 but please don't think he counted 45 numbers before he got to 55 as he missed the eighties and several prime numbers which I was a little disappointed in as he plays in the backs. The doctor then told me I could leave but to get a contact phone number for them just in case. When i returned with the number the shoulder was back in the socket and Morris was snoring like an old fart. I therefore left the hospital at about 15.30 p.m. and proceeded toward the club to watch the game. When the referee's whistle blew for half time Morris duly arrived back with his one arm in a sling and the other clutching a McDonalds drink. I initially thought that his mum must have treated her little soldier to a McDonalds after all that he had been through but then I remembered Morris telling me "He was F**ki** starving" half way through the gas and air cylinder which may have also explained it. No more rugby then for Morris for the season but plenty more McDonalds I guess.

Oh, by the way we lost the game 24-17 but it was a good game apparently.

Saturday 5 March 2011
Pentyrch 8  Penarth 17

The youth were at home today against Penarth in the Cardiff and Vale cup quarter final.  Unfortunately for Pentyrch this was simply a bad day at the office where possession was gifted to their opponents on too many occasions.  The first half saw both sides trying to run the ball but neither team could cross the others try line.  Pentyrch had a penalty mid way through the half which Alex Moore kicked to make the half time score 3-0 to Pentyrch.  The second half saw Penarth level the scores with a penalty of their own and the visitors extended their lead to 7 points shortly afterwards by scoring a converted try.  Some missed tackles from the home side saw Penarth gifted another try and the visitors took a 17-3 lead with 10 minutes to play.  Penarth soon found themselves a man down for persistent infringements and when they infringed again shortly afterwards the referee had no option other than to issue another yellow card which meant Penarth were now playing with 13 men.  Pentyrch then span the ball wide and Will Adams Jones managed to croos for an uncoverted try but the visitors held on to make the final score 17-8.  Pentyrch will want to forget this game as they did not play at their best but they have a chance to put matters right at the end of the month when they play Penarth away in the league.  Hopefully the league game will be a repeat of the win Pentyrch had against Penarth at the beginning of the season.


 

Saturday 4th September 2010:
Rumney 7 Pentyrch 10:

The first trial game of the season saw Pentyrch field 36 players during a closely contested and hard fought game against Premiership opposition.  Rumney scored first with a try and conversion which appeared to wake Pentyrch up who then started playing some good rugby.  A penalty to Pentyrch just before half time saw captain Mike Cooper opt for the 3 points to get the Tyrchs on the scoreboard which would prove a very good decision indeed at the end of the game.  The second half saw both teams make numerous substitutions with both coaches trying to give everyone a game.  The winning score came from a lovely break from Rhys Hughes who then drew the last man and offload to his cousin Jordan Hughes who ran in under the posts.  Rhys Hughes converting to make it 10-7.  Rumney then threw everything at Pentyrch but some great defending saw Pentyrch hold on to their lead and obtain their first win of the season."

Saturday 2 October 2010
Llantwit Major 14 Pentyrch 47

This Saturday saw Pentyrch travel to Llantwit Major for an East District Cup match.  Pentyrch started very well and found themselves 21-0 up after just 10 minutes.  However, rather than building on that lead and taking the opportunity to run through the various systems that have been coached the team lost their way a little and started to play individually which allowed LLantwit Major to get back into the game with an unconverted try and penalty of their own.  A further penalty just before half time by Llantwit made the half time score 21-11 Pentyrch.  The second half saw Pentyrch grab an early try but a further penalty to the home team made it 28-14.  Robbie Thomas then pushed Pentyrch further ahead with a cheeky little chip and chase from 3 yards out and some further pressure from Pentyrch and some great handling helped them to a further 2 tries to make the final score 47-14.  Although this wasn't their best performance, Pentyrch did run in 7 tries and at times, played some very good rugby.  However, at other times, the wrong decisions were taken and the structure fell apart a little which means further work is needed at training to ensure that the boys play at their best for the full 70 minutes which would make them a very hard team to beat.  Try scorers today were Jordan Hughes (3), Ben Morris (2), Mike Tann and Robbie Thomas with Rhys Hughes converting 6. 

Saturday 9th October 2010
Pentyrch 12 St Peters 10

Pentyrch youth had not beaten St Peters youth at home for 4 years so the players knew this would be a tough match.  Things started well for Pentyrch when Ben Morris broke through a tackle to run under the posts and with Ryan Ali kicking the conversion the Tyrchs found themselves 7-0 up after 10 minutes.  However, St Peters had other ideas and soon scored a try of their own through their forwards to make the score 7-5 at half time.  The second half started well for Pentyrch who scored another try through Mike Perks but again St Peters replied with a try of thier own to make it 12-10 to the Tyrchs.  The final 5 minutes saw St Peters camped in the Pentyrch 22 but some good defence kept the visitors out for a narrow win for Pentyrch.

Saturday 23rd October 2010
Pentyrch 0 St Josephs 10

It was a 'top of the table' clash at Pentyrch with St Jospehs lying first taking on Pentyrch lying second.  To be honest the game never really got going as the referee had obviously purchased a new whistle in the week and was determined to try it out as many times as possible.  With the wind blowing down the field it turned out to be a game of two halves. St Josephs, playing with the wind in the first half kicked a penalty and then scored a try through their number 6 which came via a training ground move off a scrum 5 yards out that Pentyrch should have dealt with more effectively to be honest.  10 - 0 then at half time with Pentyrch starting the second half with the wind that St Josephs had the benefit of during the first half. Although Pentyrch played some good rugby in the second half they could not cross the St Josephs line which is a credit to their defence meaning the final score ended 10-0 to the Joes.  Some good rugby at times from Pentyrch but unfortunately the boys panicked in certain situations and gave the ball to the Joes when they should have kept possession.  That said, Pentyrch will be thinking they can beat the Joes next time they play and will want to take the many positives out of the game to face Rhiwbina next Saturday who are also a very strong youth team.

Wednesday 27th October 2010
Pentyrch 12 Llantwit Fardre 5 (Match abandoned)

Pentyrch welcomed their old friends LLantwit Fardre to Parc Y Dwrlyn for a mid week friendly match.  Pentyrch started well and soon found themselves a try up through number 8 Ollie Young which was converted by Alex Moore.  Llantwit replied soon after following some good play by their forwards but Pentyrch managed to extend their lead through flanker Mike Owen.  The game was abandoned shortly after the restart as one of the Llantwit Fardre players picked up a nasty shoulder injury and cuold not be moved whilst an ambulance was called.  Hopefully there will be a re-match later in the season but for now, Pentyrch RFC wish the Llantwit player all the very best for his recovery.

Saturday 30th October 2010
Rhiwbina 33 Pentyrch 8

The next league game was against Rhiwbina youth who were currently unbeaten in the league.  A bad day at the office this one for Pentyrch who although played well during periods, were usually under pressure from a strong Rhiwbina side and who did not really show the Rhiwbina team how well they could play.  Rhiwbina scored 5 tries and 4 conversions to Pentyrch's solitary try from hooker Robbie Thomas and a penalty from Ryal Ali.  Pentyrch will face Rhiwbina in the second round of the East District Cup on Wednesday December 8th at Pentyrch and a much improved performance will be expected from this young Pentyrch team who were all disappointed witht he result on the day.

Wednesday 17th November 2010
Pentyrch 51 Cowbridge 0

A Cardiff and Vale cup match saw a young Pentyrch team entertain an even younger Cowbridge team who had several new lads playing rugby for the first time.  Although a little one sided for several periods of play Cowbridge showed that they will perform well at youth rugby in the next few seasons as their team grows with experience and confidence.  Pentyrch's try scorers on the day were Ollie Young (2), George Crews, LLoyd Davies, Adam Scanlon, Rhys Hughes, Rhys Owens, Robbie Thomas and Rhidian Roberts with Ryan Ali converting 1 and Rhys Hughes converting 2.

Saturday 20th November 2010
Pentyrch 26 Penarth 7

It was back to the league this week for what promised to be a close encounter between two teams who had gained similar results thus far in the league.  Pentyrch opened the scoring however with a powerful run from their Blues Academy centre Harry Robinson which was converted by Rhys Hughes.  Some good play from the forwards soon after resulted in a second try for the Tyrchs scored by Mike Perks which was again converted by Rhys Hughes.  Penarth hit back shortly after with a try from their open side flanker and although Pentyrch contested the ball had come straight out of the scrum the referee upheld his decision.  Pentyrch stretched their lead to 14 points again following a lovely dummy and step from Harry Robinson to make it 21-7 at half time with Rhys Hughes getting the conversion.  The second half saw some good rugby from both sides but neither could break the others try line until Pentyrch were awarded a scrum 10 yards out with 10 minutes to go which saw the Pentyrch captain Mike Cooper go over following a well worked back row move to make it 26-7 and that's how it ended.  A much better performance this week from the young Pentyrch side which really pleased the coaches. 

• Youth team sheets 

Saturday 11^th December 2010

Pontyclun 26 Pentyrch 5

The Pontyclun game was played in memory of Lewis Clark, the Pontyclun youth captain who tragically passed away in a car accident a month earlier.  Both teams decided to wear Pontyclun shirts on the day as a fitting tribute to Lewis and both teams lined up before the start to conduct the minute’s applause together with the many Pontyclun supporters that had come along on the day.  Pontyclun were fired up for this one and played a great game of rugby beating Pentyrch by four tries to one.  Some great rugby was played that afternoon and some great sportsmanship shown by both teams.  The right result on the day I think and a great advert for rugby and how it brings communities together at times like this.  We offer Pontyclun RFC and the family and friends of Lewis our sincerest condolencies at this time.

Saturday 8^th January 2011

Rogerstone 5 Pentyrch 31

It was back to rugby at the start of 2011 after a long hard winter during which food and game time were scarce and snow and rain were plentiful.  The first game of 2011 saw Pentyrch take the short trip down the M4 to visit Rogerstone in Newport and both teams were glad to be back on the pitch.  Rogerstone were a little short of players for this one due to a school match that morning so step forward Ollie Young and Ross Taylor who kindly donned the opposition shirts.  A good first half saw both team trying to run the ball as much as possible and both defences standing firm.  However, some good interplay from the Tyrchs forwards and backs saw their second row Adam Scanlon burst through the line to make it 5-0 to Pentyrch after 15 minutes.  George Crews scored soon after following a nice backs move with Rhys Hughes converting to make it 12-0 Pentyrch.  Jack Logan then got on the score sheet after good work from the forwards to make the half time score 17-0 Pentyrch.  The second half saw a number of changes in the Tyrchs team which included Jack Logan and Alex Taylor swapping with Ross and Ollie for the opposition.  Some great rugby followed from both sides with both teams trying to keep the ball alive although it was Pentyrch who scored first through Adam Scanlon with Ryan Ali converting to make it 24-0 Pentyrch.  Scanlon was back on the score sheet 10 minutes later after showing how greedy he could be with his hat-trick obviously more important than the team game everyone else was trying to play !  Ryan Ali added the extras to make it 31-0 with 10 minites to go.  Rogerstone though were not to be outdone and scored a deserved try toward the end to make the final score 31-5 Pentyrch.

Saturday 15^th January 2011

St Peters 7 Pentyrch 12

It was the first return league game of the season for Pentyrch and it proved to be another close encounter following the Tyrchs 12-10 win at home earlier in the season.  St Peters started the better and scored a try after 15 minutes via a cheeky little line out move that caught Pentyrch napping and with a good conversion from their outside Pentyrch found themselves trailing 7-0.  Pentyrch would have had 12 out of 10 for effort during the first half but unfortunately they would have scored 3 out of 10 for decision making.  It appeared the young Tyrchs side were trying far to hard to play and were forcing the ball when maybe taking it in to contact and going through the phases would have been the better option (easy to say standing behind the posts with a burger I know !).  Pentyrch thought they had their first try 10 minutes from the end of the first half after a great charge down and chase but unfortunately the referee thought we grounded the ball with the elbow instead of the hand – I will leave that one to you lot to discuss.  The second half started well for Pentyrch who began running through the phases and securing much more ball.  A turnover in their own half saw the forwards get the ball to the backs who showed quick hands to move the ball across the line.  Ollie Young was the extra man in the backs who drew the last defender and passed to Mikey Tann who sprinted over in the corner.  Unfortunately the conversion was too far out which meant St Peters led 7-5.  The Pentyrch scrum was the best part of their game today and frequently had the opposition eight in trouble.  A series of penalties for Pentyrch with 10 minutes to go saw their Captain Mike Cooper opt for the 5 yard scrum on 5 occasions and with the infringements mounting for St Peters came the inevitable yellow card.  On the fifth scrum the ball was shipped to the backs which saw Jake Lambert Jones put in a lovely chip to the corner to see Will Adams Jones race past the defence to score.  Ollie Young got the conversion from the touchline to make the final score 12-7 to Pentyrch and 3 more league points to the Tyrchs which meant the Tyrchs went top of division Blues B(i) as St Josephs didn't play. 

Saturday 5th February 2011
Barry 19  Pentyrch 17

Pentyrch travelled to Barry this week in a friendly game but only had 16 players available due to various commitments and injuries so well done to all those who played.  As anyone will know who has played in Barry the wind down there can be worse than the wind up here and it certainly was today.  Pentyrch played with the wind in the first half and found themselves under pressure from the home side from the start.  Although good defence kept Barry out for the first 20 minutes Pentyrch found themselves a try down with 15 minutes to play.  Pentyrch's reply was swift as they scored a try from the restart through Rhidian Roberts and with the wind behind him Alex Moore converted from out wide to make it 7-5 Pentyrch. Although both sides struggled to cope with the gusts that were blowing down the pitch Pentyrch played the remainder of the half in Barry territory and  were awarded a penalty on the stroke of half time which Alex Moore kicked to make the half time score 10-5 Pentyrch.  The second half saw Pentyrch playing into the tornado and they wisely decided to keep the ball in hand.  Barry had their fair share of ball in the opening 20 minutes but some great defence from the Tyrchs kept them out and Pentyrch managed to break free on a number of occasions to get the ball away from danger.  A scrum to Pentyrch with 15 minutes to go just inside the Barry half saw Alex Moore run a dummy scissors with Crocker and the gap opened up before him just like it had for Toby Flood the night before and he raced away to score under the posts.  The conversion was a formality and the Tyrchs found themselves 17-5 up with just over 10 minutes to play.  Barry hit back with a try and a conversion to make it 17-12 and with 5 minutes to go Pentyrch found themselves defending their try line.  A dubious penalty was awarded to Barry for a dangerous tackle by our outside half (yes the outside half did a dangerous tackle !) and Barry found themselves in front of the Pentyrch posts and were awarded a scrum for a Pentyrch knock on.  Unfortunately for the Tyrchs the Barry back row move of 8 block the defender and 6 sneak over worked very well and Pentyrch found themselves 19-17 down with a minute to play which was not enough time to sneak the win.  Although I joke about the last try it was actually a great game of rugby bearing in mind the terrible conditions with both sides trying to keep the ball in hand and run at every opportunity which was the only option on the day as the wind was blowing straight down the pitch at about 40 MPH.  Barry travel to Pentyrch on March 19th and we will look forward to the return game and hopefully a home win.

Saturday 12th February 2011
Llantwit Fardre 14  Pentyrch  26

Pentyrch travelled to their old friends LLantwit Fardre today for a 1.30 kick off that would allow the boys enough time to get back for the Wales Scotland game at 5 p.m.  Pentyrch started well and were soon on the scoreboard when Jake Lambert Jones broke through the defence to score the games first try.  Pentyrch tried to run the ball whenever they could and many good phases of play could have ended as scoring opportunities only for the last pass to go astray.  Pentyrch were soon on the scoreboard again however when Jack Logan finished off some good work from the forwards but again the conversion drifted wide to keep the score at 10-0.  LLantwit kept in the game throughout the first half and were rewarded with a converted try to pull themselves within touching distance but Jake Lambert Jones rounded off some good passing from the backs to put Pentyrch 8 points clear again and 15-7 up at half time.  The second half became a very scrappy affair for both sides with the referee's whistle playing a major part of the game but Pentyrch did manage to score two further tries through left wing Ben Morris and outside half Rhys Hughes who also converted his own try.  Llantwit had the last words though and scored a converted try to make the final score 27 - 14 to Pentyrch.


Saturday 19th February 2011
Pentyrch  23 Rhiwbina  16

As Pentyrch and Rhiwbina had been unable to play their East District cup match before now the coaches agreed that today's game would be a winner takes all encounter counting toward both league and cup.  As Rhiwbina had beaten Pentyrch earlier in the season, the coaches knew this would be a tough encounter against a strong Rhiwbina team.  The game was no doubt Pentyrch's grittiest performance of the season where the whole team played as 15 for 70 minutes.  The Tyrchs were fired up for this one and started extremely well by putting Rhiwbina under pressure from the very start with gain line breaking runs and some great tackling.  A Pentyrch penalty 25 yards out saw Pentyrch Captain Mike Cooper opt for the 3 points and Alex Moore duly slotted the penalty.  Rhiwbina hit back with some good work from their backs and were awarded a penalty shortly after to level the scores 3-3.  Pentyrch were awarded another penalty shortly after which was easily kickable but Coops opted for the 5 yard line out and what a great decision that was.  The line out was a training ground move which saw Pentyrch captain sneak around the blind side and touchdown to make the score 8-3 to Pentyrch.  Rhiwbina had some good phases then and were looking dangerous when some great tackling from the Tyrchs forced Rhiwbina to lose the ball and Ollie Young kicked the loose ball up field.  As the ball bounced on the Rhiwbina 22 Ollie was  first to the ball and managed to show his football skills to kick the ball over the Rhiwbina try line and touchdown to make the score 13-3 to Pentyrch.  Rhiwbina hit back again and were awarded a 5 yard scrum which enabled them to score their first try of the game and make the score 13-8 at half time.  Although Pentyrch had the slight breeze in the second half it was Rhiwbina who struck first with a penalty to pull them within touching distance at 13-11.  It was Pentyrch who had the better of the next 10 minutes with some great runs into their opponents half and were unlucky not to score from another penalty which just drifted wide.  Pentyrch played the next few phases within the Rhiwbina 22 but Rhiwbina managed to turn the ball over and pass wide to kick the ball clear.  The Tyrchs full back Ryan Ali gathered well and launched a counter attack that saw quick hands get the ball to right wing Will Adams Jones who sprinted around the cover defence to score in the corner.  Alex Moore then got the touchline conversion to push Pentyrch 20-11 clear.  Another penalty for Pentyrch saw Coops opt for the 3 points to try and push Pentyrch further ahead and Alex Moore duly slotted the ball over to make the score 23-11 with 15 minutes to go.  Rhiwbina hit back with some good hands which saw them free their wingers on a few occasions but some good defence kept them from scoring. Rhiwbina then turned pressure into points by scoring their second try of the day which was unconverted to make the score 23-16 to Pentyrch with 5 minutes to go.  Pentyrch were then awarded a penalty to clear the immediate danger but Rhiwbina managed to regain possession and launch an attack into the Pentyrch half with the last play of the game.  Although Rhiwbina got into the Pentyrch 22 Pentyrch tackled well and when the ball was knocked on the ref blew the whistle to mark the end of an extremely physical encounter.  You can tell by the size of the report that this win meant a great deal to the coaches, players and supporters in Pentyrch as they have not beaten Rhiwbina youth for 2 seasons.  Every player gave 110 percent for this one and the whole team played as one and with the try count 3 to 2 in Pentyrch's favour the result proved to be the right one on the day I think.  On to the quarter finals then and another home draw against last years league winners Llanharan which will prove another tough encounter.