Fixture

Beddau RFC | 1st Team 21 - 0 Maesteg Harlequins RFC | 1st Team

Match Report
28 December 2018 / Team News

Vital Win In Basement Battle

It can take a lot of work to get a rugby side onto the field.  From the side selected on Thursday evening lock Rhys Owens succumbed to a long-standing knee injury; full back Callum Wheeler was unwell and Number 8 Glenn Slater`s son decided that Saturday morning would be a good time to be born!  The urgent reshuffling saw a new face in lock Fraser Young and reappearances for old favourites Scott Britton and former Club captain Rob Downes.  The side was, in any event, showing the ravages of a cruel injury list but some of those returning to the fray put in some fine performances as the side battled to an urgently needed win.

The final score was, in some ways, not flattering as a case could be made that it might have been more.  At the same time a determined Maesteg Quins could also claim that they had done enough to at least register on the scoreboard.

A penalty at a scrum early on gave Hywel Chatham a sight of the posts but the kick drifted wide.  Beddau were, however, firmly on the front foot and it took a big defensive effort from the visitors to keep the line intact.  Eventually a lineout on the left was won by Tom Axenderrie and taken on at pace by Jack Secher.  Hywel Chatham linked with his half-back colleague and sent Adam Ashford into a gap and the speedy centre found Cody Baker who saw off the remaining defenders in scoring the try.  Chatham, in what were obviously difficult conditions for kickers, could not convert but when tackled from an offside position Hywel Chatham landed the points to make it 8-0 and to take his own score for the season to 100.

Quins came back into it and when Owen Howe placed a penalty to touch an offence gave him a shot at goal.  This, surprisingly, didn`t bisect the posts and to emphasise the difficulties the Quins sharpshooter saw another effort go wide.

Beddau disturbed this brief period of pressure but with a flurry of attacks being turned back decided to take up the option of a kick for offside and Hywel Chatham stroked this to take the sides in at 11-0.

From the restart a Quins flanker was yellow- carded for a trip on Beddau`s Scott Britton but, if anything, this energised the visitors and play was limited to an arm wrestle.  Hywel Chatham chipped a penalty to touch and with Ben White in the van Beddau drove to the line where Corrie Tarrant forced the try.

At 16-0 Beddau should have felt comfortable but it was Quins who were now having much of matters.  Some good defensive work ended with hooker Tarrant leading a powerful breakout and with Tyler Wells also making inroads some further recycling work upfront provided good ball.  It looked as though the well-marshalled Quins defence had snuffed out the threat but with hardly any room in which to work the twinkle-toed Cody Baker somehow managed to step his way to the line.

There was time yet for more effort and for striking a retaliatory blow Tyler Wells saw yellow forcing Beddau once again to stand up to the mark in defence.  Jack Secher, from behind a ruck, found space and wingers Cameron Ellis and Kieran Gay linked to carry it into space where a kick ahead sent replacement Gareth Hopkins racing in search of an unlikely score.  The speedster was just denied and despite some concerted pressure near the line, including the loss of a prop to the bin, Quins held out to deny a bonus point.

The victory lifts Beddau from the bottom, passing Quins on the way, and good as it was to see such valuable contributions from the experienced Scott Britton and Robert Downes who appear to have lost nothing in their time away from the club, Lee Jarvis and Ben White will be hoping that the New Year will see the injury list relax its grip.

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