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ABERDARE (14) GWERNYFED (5)
A GAME BEST FORGOTTEN
On a miserable afternoon on the flood plain of the Cynon those who sacrificed the Christmas shopping for an afternoon’s entertainment probably wondered whether the decision was a good one. This was a game best forgotten by both vanquished and victor.
Gwernyfed had never lost to Aberdare but from the start the runes suggested that
the home side may break their duck. The home side had the better of the line out
throughout, though the Talgarth side’s young front row, Steve Price, Craig Fuller
and Craig Parry, held their own against a much bigger and more experienced line-
The game was littered with errors and offered little in terms of enterprise, the conditions demanding that the packs slog it out. In this respect again the teams were evenly matched throughout the first period with Richard East and Steve Harley demonstrating the value of positive driving. With Lewis Bowen, George Barden and Jordan Curran tackling well the Cynon Valley outfit were restricted to a couple of penalty shots that opened up what proved to be a vital six point lead by the break.
In the second period Aberdare stuck to their task, driving around the fringes effectively and forcing another penalty that extended the lead. However, whenever the ball went wide the defending lines held firm and the white line proved elusive.
When a try did come it was something of a comedy of errors, a strongly defended scrum on Gwernyfed’s five metre line resulting in a scuffed clearance that fell into the attacking winger’s arms, he then falling over the line.
The score forced Gwernyfed into a different way of thinking and when anny Skyrme launched a huge cross kick, the fact that Chris O’Brien collected and crossed without defending attention suggested that the wide route could have been productive. As it was, it was too little and too late to rescue a game that will live short in the memory.
Back in Talgarth the Athletic offered something to celebrate with an 18-
