Fixture

A bruising encounter saw a well drilled outfit in New Tredegar Visit Virginia Park in Caerphilly’s second league outing of a new season.

A scrappy game for the home side, the team management striving to find a good combination with 2 good available teams at hand, and it showed. Several scoring opportunities went begging as the Castle Town side struggled to keep hold of the ball.

It was the visitors that took the lead with a series of penalties, outside half Craig Thomas stepping up to convert two in the first 30 minutes, missing a third. Caerphilly’s reply came courtesy of outside half Matthew Hurley’s boot converting 2 penalties. Hurley failed to put the home side in the lead pushing the ball just wide of the posts on 2 occasions before New Tredegar took the lead on 29 minutes no.8 and Captain Mark Vaughan breaking through the defence to score under the posts, Thomas adding the additional and a 6-13 lead.

Caerphilly drew level just minutes later as they broke from defence, winger Will Worthington eventually breaking through the defence on the half way line to run in under the posts, Hurley adding the spoils to give the home side a 13-10 lead at half time.

The second half followed the first as both sides struggled to keep ball in hand. Despite the bulk of possession the home side failed to put points on the board squandering at least 5 scoring chances. 2 missed penalties by the visitors could have made the score closer at the end. The only difference between the two sides, centre Stuart Thomas’s try on the hour mark.

With Caerphilly pressuring, the ball went wide down the right, and bring play into the centre, Thomas collected a good pass from Hurley, hitting a great angle to split the New Tredegar defence to cross unopposed under the posts, Hurley adding the extras to give the home side the victory. Previous years would have seen team capitulate and give the game away, but Caerphilly kept pressing until the end and finish with 4 points.

Elsewhere Caerphilly 2ndXV continued their rich vein of form with a hard fought 36-21 victory over Tylorstown, Josh Watkins grabbing a hatrick, Dan Jones, Tom Alexandrie and Jack Jonathon also crossing the whitewash. Outside half Kieran Dymond added 3 conversions on the way to a 3^rd victory on the trot. The Youth team also claimed a victory over Llanishen. Despite going behind 12-0 at half time, the side clawed their way back to claim a 24-19 victory, Ben Candy, Tom Candy, Cyle Powell and Liam Powell crossing for try’s, Ben Candy and Alex Stickler adding the conversions.

Caerphilly welcome Rhymney RFC to Virginia Park next weekend in the first round of the Swalec Bowl. Kick off 2:30pm.