WRU CHAMPIONSHIP
Dunvant 10 Newcastle Emlyn 20
A well deserved win at Dunvant all but sealed WRU Championship rugby for Newcastle Emlyn for at least another season.
The red and whites were forced to field an understrength side for the trip to Broadacre with over a dozen players missing from the squad through injury with Llyr Jones and Bleddyn Davies having joined the long list of casualties in the week and centre Richard Hope having to withdraw with a rib injury after training on Thursday night.
Coach Marc Lloyd was boosted by the return of vice-captain Owain Powell at open side and winger Llyr Freeman in his first start for the team and both had a fine match in attack and defence.
Emlyn made a superb start when the ball was moved at pace out to winger Dan Davies who crossed in the corner for a try which he converted himself.
The hosts hit back when from a line out deep in the Emlyn twenty two, Dunvant moved the ball swiftly along their three quarter line and some hesitancy in the Emlyn defence saw winger Sam Evans pass inside to the supporting full back Mitchell Ford who crossed for a try well converted by Lewis.
The hosts took the lead just before the break when an attempted clearance kick by Dan Davies failed to find touch, and Dunvant winger Sam Evans dropped a goal from forty metres.
Emlyn bounced back after the interval when Davies kicked a long range penalty goal. From the restart Brynmor Jones caught the ball, ran at the opposition and linked with flanker Joel James and he looked likely to score. James slipped the ball to Emrys Davies who was on his shoulder in support but he was scythed down from the side by a foot first tackle and referee Mathew Thomas had no hesitation in awarding Emlyn a penalty try converted by Davies and sin binned the Dunvant offender.
The red and whites then went further ahead when the home side were penalised for killing the ball at a ruck following a superb run by winger Freeman and Davies kicked the penalty goal.
Dunvant by now were very much on the defensive but Emlyn could not get over the home side’s try line. Their best opportunity came with some five minutes remaining when an up and under by outside half Mitchell Jones was allowed to bounce by the home side and speedy Emlyn hooker Tom Curry was on to the ball in a flash. He cleverly threw an overhead pass to Freeman on the wing who then fed Lumb,outside him, and the centre looked certain to score in the corner. Some desperate cover tackling by the home side brought Lumb down inches from the line. Emlyn won the resultant ruck and put in a cross field kick which just eluded three red and white players in the in-goal area before it crossed the dead ball line.
The victory moved the red and whites up to joint fifth in the table and a goal for the rest of the season should be to consolidate this position in the table.
With a gap of three weeks now Emlyn’s next game will be on the March 4th when second place Tata Steel will be the visitors to the Teifi Valley. (Pics: Marion Dixon-Dunvant RFC)
