Fixture

Bridgend Athletic 12 Beddau 19

Championship – Sat Oct 3^rd 2015

Bridgend Athletic players, coaches and supporters left the Bridgend Ford Brewery Field very frustrated that the Athletic contrived to lose a game in which they had numerous scoring chances and dominated with 65% possession and territory. Beddau were more clinical on the day in taking their chances and were well organised in defence, which gave them a 19-12 victory.

The tone was set in the first few minutes when full back Lewis Evans penalty was just the wrong side of the upright. The normally reliable kicker also missed two further chances in the opening quarter. Beddau made the Athletic pay. For the first time in the tenth minute they broke out of their own half with their speedy back division creating an overlap for centre Bradley Coombes to race 60 yards. He was held just short of the try line – but the Athletic conceded a penalty in halting him.  Beddau captain No 8 Glenn Slater took a quick tap penalty and crashed over near the posts for a try converted by outside half Sam Withers.

The Athletic pack continued to control possession with the front row of Matt Muir, Nathan Holman and Wayne Fookes pushing their opponents back in the scrums and the back 5 of Tom Penry-Ellis, Darren Deguerra , Ben Howe, Stuart Edbrooke and captain Sean Williams lively in the set pieces and loose. However the backline were much more pedestrian in their movement than the well organised Beddau back division and predictable and prone to throw the miracle pass and handling errors. This was borne out when centre Bradley Cooper intercepted an attacking move just outside his 22 and raced the length of the field for a try under the posts converted by Withers. This was only the second time Beddau had crossed the half way line.

This encouraged Beddau and they came more into the game as the half progressed and went in at half time 14-0 ahead. The game was more evenly fought in the second half. Captain Sean Williams unfortunately held the ball a little too long and was forced into touch just as he threw an inside scoring pass. Beddau showed the Athletic how to finish. A quick bout of passing along the back division saw centre Lewis Egal gallop over in the corner to extend the lead to 19-0.

The Athletic responded when following a series of drives by the forwards close to the Beddau line the ball was passed out to outside half Jonathan Phillips who glided through a gap to cross under the posts. Evans converted. The Athletic brought on centre Tom Morgan as a replacement for Chris Priceand lok Jonathon Stoker to replace Darren Deguerra. Morgan along with Phillips and wings Lyndsey MaCausland and Aled Thomas were making their first Athletic starts of the season, which in some way may have accounted for the lack of cohesion in the back division. The Athletic continued to pound away at the Beddau line and a break from scrum half Jake Williams saw centre Ryan Owen in support to cross wide out and reduce the deficit to 19-12. Another Phillips break should have resulted in another try but the scoring pass was dropped. Beddau saw a prop yellow carded and led to passive scrums which further frustrated the Athletic pack.

The Athletics’ day was highlighted in the closing minutes when a 3 to 1 overlap saw the overlap pass bounce of the receiver’s head. Work is needed in composure to finish chances before this weekend’s long trip to North Wales to take on RGC1404. The following Saturday October 17^th sees the Athletic return to the Bridgend Ford Brewery Field to take on Cardiff Metropolitan.

The club are pleased with the performances of try scoring Scott Baldwin and the elusive Matthew Morgan in Wales victory over Fiji, which as it turned out was enough to see them into the Quarter Finals of the Rugby World Cup.