Fixture

Although the Old Firm had use of the wind, Dowlais had the first chance in this Division 1 East Central game when their full back got way down the touchline where an excellent tackle by a Mount defender stopped a scoring chance near the Old Firm’s 22. When the visitors got the ball they retained it well, taking it through numerous phases although they had little change out of the Mount defence, flanker Kieron Davies making some good tackles from a couple of scrums as the visitors’ No.8 looked to drive into midfield. After a slow start, the Old Firm started to get into the game. In the 15th minute, scrum half Ross Davies took a quick penalty on half way and almost got through, his inside pass just behind second row Richard Griffiths who was up in support. Shortly afterwards, outside half Sam Withers kicked a 40 metre penalty to put Mount 3-0 up. Although centre Shaun Davies made a good tackle on half way to stop an attack, Dowlais had a chance to equalise but missed a 35 metre penalty. A scrum against the head saw Mount centre Dafydd Hellard set up a ruck on the Dowlais 22 from which the ball was thrown wide, hooker and captain Craig Evans taking the ball up to the Dowlais line from where scrum half Ross Davies drove over for Mount’s first try of the day, converted by Withers, to make it 10-0. The visitors protected the ball very well when they had it, always having men in close support. In the 35th minute, right on half way, outside half Withers recovered a loose ball expertly with a one handed pick-up and started an attack down the blindside which hooker Craig Evans again took on up to the line but over complication at a five metre scrum on the Dowlais line saw the visitors clear the ball. A break through the Mount midfield by the Dowlais outside half spelt danger, for Dowlais as it turned out. After a pass was spilled on the Mount 22, full back Jordan Rees started a counter attack, setting outside half Withers free. He took play into the Dowlais half and after scooping the ball up from a tackle, a spectacular one handed overhead pass by centre Shaun Davies and an acrobatic kick forward by wing Dale Phillips saw Phillips follow up, recover the ball and run in under the posts to great applause as he finished off a 75 metre move in great style. Withers converted to take Mount in at 17-0 up at half time.

Another strong run by centre Hellard into Dowlais territory was taken on by No.8 Kriss Sanders and the Mount forwards. From a scrum in the visitors’ 22 which was disrupted, scrum half Davies was quickly on to a loose ball to feed second row Richard Griffiths who got over from 10 metres for his first try of the season to put Mount 22-0 up. With an hour almost played, from what appeared to be a case of accidentally offside on half way, the referee allowed play to continue, with the result that visitors’ wing got away but some superb defence by wing Dale Phillips and the rest of the Mount team close in kept Dowlais out and earned a penalty. Another run by the Dowlais wing tested the Mount defence again and this time a home player was yellow carded for a ruck offence. The visitors took a scrum from the penalty and set up a maul from 15 metres out which eventually resulted in a try for centre Bleddyn Rees, converted by Sion Jones to reduce Mount’s lead to 22-7 after 62 minutes. From the Old Firm’s first penalty of the second half after 66 minutes, which was kicked to touch in the visitors’ 22, a good lineout take by flanker Chris Edmunds saw prop James Cowdry take the ball up to the line where a Dowlais forward was yellow carded for stopping release. After the Old Firm won a lineout just outside the Dowlais 22, scrum half Ross Davies went blind and found more space than he expected, having a free run-in to score his 11th try of the season, gain Mount a bonus point and make it 27-7. The Old Firm attacked again from the restart, centre Shaun Davies being put away but his kick ahead went into touch. The fifth try shortly after came when scrum half Davies and wing Dale Phillips combined to put full back Jordan Rees away from 20 metres out for a try he also converted, and with virtually the last move of the game, Rees almost got his second after flanker Dale Jones put him away from 25 metres out but a fine tackle by a Dowlais defender stopped him near the line. This win brings an end to League action until early 6 December due to Wales’ Saturday Internationals. The Old Firm have won 7 from 9 games, sit 3rd in the Division 1 East Central table and are also in the last 32 of the SWALEC Plate.

Cambrian Welfare II 31 Mountain Ash Athletic 32

A superb comeback by Mountain Ash Athletic earned a 32-31 win away to a strong Cambrian Welfare 2nd XV in the Rhondda and East Glamorgan League and Keith Jones Cup.

Mount trailed 17-7 at half time and then 22-7 in the second half but a gutsy performance by the whole team saw them fight their way back and win the game with the last kick of the game, outside half Matthew Parfitt coolly slotting over a penalty from midway out in the home 22. Mount scored four tries in total, two coming from centre Craig Roberts, one from fellow centre Gavin Roberts, and another from full back Nick Griffiths. Outside half Matthew Parfitt kicked 12 points, made up of two penalties and three conversions.

Mountain Ash Youth 53 Crickhowell Youth 0

Mountain Ash Youth run in nine tries in their 53-0 home Blues Youth League win at Caedrawnant over a Crickhowell team that kept going to the final whistle. Wing Daniel Cartwright and second row Sean Moore got two each, Cartwright taking his total up to 6 for the season, with one apiece coming from second row David Richards, full back Jack Roberts, wing William Holley, centre Alex Hughes and wing Callum Richards. Scrum half Liam Jones kicked four conversions. The Young Firm’s man of the match was No.8 Jarrod Morgan, closely followed by prop Thomas Evans.