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A last minute try and conversion saw Kenfig Hill win a narrow local derby by 21-19 against Bridgend Athletic.

For the Athletic it was certainly a game that got away. With the possession they had they should have strangled the game. Poor control of the ball at the contact area and trying to overplay in the wrong areas with too many poorly directed passes leading to handling errors, aligned to poor tactical kicking cost them dearly.

It was the home side that started stronger. A run down the left-hand touchline was only stopped by a good cover tackle by Athletic left-wing Robin Davies sensing the danger and crossing to the opposite wing to halt the move. After 15 minutes with the Mules playing down the slope, they opened the scoring. From a scrum inside the Athletic 22 they went right, switched play back across field for centre Owen Davies to run through a huge gap to cross for a try converted by outside half Jonny Clatworthy.

After 20 minutes Kenfig Hill dropped a pass on halfway. Athletic scrum half Aled Thomas hacked the ball forward. Athletic wing Tom James won the race to the ball and kicked it over the line and had the pace to outstrip the cover to cross wide out. Luke Bevan’s conversion levelled the scores.

Athletics’ Aled Thomas showed good positional sense to halt a potential Kenfig Hill try picking the ball up just in front of his posts and clearing to halfway. Lock Jonathon Stoker tapped a Kenfig Hill throw in back to Thomas whose kick over the Mules defence saw wing Robin Davies gather and race over. Bevan’s conversion gave the Athletic a 14-7 lead.

In a Groundhog Day repeat of the Ammanford game Athletic No 8 Ben Davies picked up from a line out on halfway drew two players into the tackle before putting wing Robin Davies clear. However, the pass was again judged forward.

The Athletic were now in control and 5 minutes from the break had a golden opportunity to increase their lead. A 5-metre driving maul was halted but the Athletic retained possession and pounded the Kenfig Hill line before losing the ball and allowing the home side to get out of jail.

Just after the interval Kenfig Hill wing Lewis Morgan broke a tackle on halfway and raced into the Athletic 22 before throwing a potentially scoring inside pass. Fortunately, Athletic full back Stuart Floyd-Ellis read the situation and made a timely interception. A few minutes later the same player again broke a tackle and had No 8 Chris Leyshon inside him to this time receive the scoring pass Clatworthy’s conversion levelled the scores at 14-14.

Good breaks by Athletic flanker Ben Howe and then centre Joe Patterson saw Kenfig Hill penalised inside their 22. Bevan kicked for a 5-metre touch. The first Athletic drive was illegally halted and saw Kenfig Hill flanker Josh Dixon despatched to the sin bin. A repeat drive saw the Mules once again penalised but no card. It was third time lucky as hooker Lee Murphy found lock Ben Cording and then joined the drive to cross wide out for an unconverted try and 19-14 lead. The Athletic pack continued to control possession but instead of strangling the game by pushing the ball into the bottom corner of the Kenfig Hill 22 continued in the same vein making the same errors as the first half.

They paid the price when just inside their own half in the last minute Kenfig Hill turned over possession and their centre showed great pace to run around the Athletic defence and release wing Lewis Morgan to outpace the Athletic cover and cross under the posts. The conversion spelled the end of the game and great joy for the home side.

This Saturday the Athletic visit Kenfig Hill’s neighbour’s Pyle of Div 2 West Central for a 1^ST Round Swalec Plate tie. They will do well to remind themselves of complacency against a fired up local side looking to create an upset as close neighbours the Ravens found to their cost at Beddau.