Fixture

 

First team calls and late drop outs left Bridgend Athletic 2^nd XV with the bare 15 players for their Enoch Lewis Cup Semi Final away to runaway league leaders Kenfig Hill 2^nd XV. This was compounded when they lost prop Matt Norman with a dead leg after only five minutes.  A yellow card saw them finish the half with only 13 players, but to their credit only a converted try from the speedy Kenfig Hill centre separated the sides at half time.

 

During the first half Sean Williams and Aaron Mordecai dominated the line outs and showed up well in the loose. Geraint Lang was in the opposition faces winning good turnover ball and Lewis Dando, Aled Pilliner and Matthew Tellem carried the ball effectively. A number of Athletic drives at the Kenfig Hill line were illegally halted and the Athletic felt aggrieved when a marginal high tackle saw prop Lewis Dando yellow carded, while the home side kept their full contingent on the field.

 

Kenfig Hill also possessed strong ball carriers but determined tackling in midfield by Liam Griffiths, Rhys Jones and Hywel Roberts largely kept play inside the Kenfig Hill half of the field.

 

The start of the second half saw good tactical kicking from outside half Scott Jones and full back Liam Phillips and runs from wings Jamie Sidford and Hywel Cosby take the game to the opposition Captain and scrum half Nick Jones orchestrated a series of drives close to the Kenfig Hill try line before an attempted miracle pass went directly to touch. Nick Jones was then yellow carded for hands in a ruck. Kenfig Hill used their two- man advantage to move the wide to increase their lead. Further woe was to befall the Athletic as injuries to Matthew Tellem and Rhys Jones saw them finish the game with only 12 players.

 

Kenfig Hill ably exploit the numerical superiority to run in a further three tries despite valiant Athletic efforts in defence, typified by the example of outside half Scott Jones, to win the tie 33-0. The Athletic will now contest the final of the Barrie Morris Plate Cup against either Bridgend Sports or Aberavon Quins, while Kenfig Hill will play the winners of that tie in the Enoch Lewis Cup Final.

 

Coach Liam Griffiths could only praise the efforts of his Athletic team, but was unhappy that not all the squad are committed to regularly turning up for fixtures and letting their team mates down – especially against tougher opposition.