Fixture

CONSUMMATE CAE CRUSH CROESY
As I donned my new Caerphilly RFC bobble hat courtesy of the U13s (in which I must say I looked rather dashing) to venture out into this cold, crisp, double-scarfer November morning, two questions were playing on my mind. Firstly, would Nathan actually listen to me when I told him it was time to leave when the rugby had finished and secondly and most importantly, following the fantastic evening put on at the club by the U13s on Bonfire Night, would our boys produce fireworks of their own on the field of play?

Our visitors this morning were the Cockerels of Cockerel’s Cross, Croesyceiliog to you and me, and from just down the road, Machen. Croesyceiliog were our first opponents and, as we all assembled on the touchlines awaiting the first whistle from today’s referee, Neil, we all prepared our eardrums for what was about to come – Sarah was back after her stint on kitchen duty last week!

We had played Croesyceiliog earlier on in the season in a closely fought encounter so it was interesting to see what progress the Bears had made between now and then. I think it’s safe to say we weren’t disappointed!

Caerphilly Bears 6-Croesyceiliog 3

The tone of the Bears’ performance was set from the first whistle, with Cian putting in a huge hit on Croesy’s unfortunate first receiver right on the gain line. We didn’t have to wait long for our opening try, which was scored by our new Bear, Jack, who had joined us from Senghenydd and what a great try it was. Jack was first receiver from a scrum after a handling error from Croesy. He made a break down the blind side, stepped inside the cover defence and then straightened up to score in the corner. Welcome to the Bears, Jack! The lead didn’t last too long, however, with Croesy catching the Bears napping scoring their equalising try straight from the restart.

The Bears regained the lead, the second try coming from Logan. A typical barnstorming run with defenders bouncing off him, it did look as if he was just going to be tackled before the line but again, the last defender bounced off him and he squeezed in in the corner.

A third Bears try quickly followed, this time from Teifi. The Bears targeted the blind side again from a scrum, Sam Morgan making the break up the touchline, stepping inside and presenting the ball after a Croesy tackle. A smooth passing move along the line ended with Teifi finishing the move off in the corner. Croesy managed to grab another try of their own, the Bears taking a narrow lead into half-time.

H-T: Caerphilly Bears 3-Croesyceiliog 2

Following the break, more free flowing rugby from both teams ensued, with Neil looking to play the advantage wherever possible, keeping the attentive crowd fully entertained. Then, after a somewhat subdued first half by his standards, H-Bomb decided to get in on the action. First-up receiver, he took the ball and after another dazzling sidestep, saw the space and went over for the fourth try.

Try five was a Sam Colwill special. Again another score emanating from a set piece, Sam spotted that Croesy had left the blind side unguarded and boy, did he make them pay for this defensive lapse. A lightning break down the touchline, he turned on the afterburners and, from his own half, he flew in in the corner with a Chris Ashton swallow dive. (Hope you like the English reference there, Steve!)

Croesy managed to get a score back of their own with a nice line break but it was down to Hywel again to have the final word. Picking the ball up on the halfway, another fantastic step leaving the defence clutching thin air, he ran the ball in unopposed.

F-T: Caerphilly Bears 6-Croesyceiliog 3

Man of the Match

A particularly difficult choice for the assessors today for the reasons mentioned earlier. After impassioned pleas from each assessor, it was decided that the award go to Hywel Williams. He was able to combine his defence with his clinical attack today, seemingly running in tries from wherever and whenever he pleased.