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27 February 2019 / Club News

Match preview and Shirt Sponsors

With all eyes on the Wales v England international at the Principality Stadium there was no rugby action for Old Penarthians last weekend.  This Saturday however sees the 1st XV return to a Division 3 East Central (B) league away to Glyncoch.

 Following the home defeat in a bruising encounter to table toppers Canton by 14 points to 5 it is a visit to the bottom team in the league that now poses the next hurdle.  As the table shows Glyncoch may be adrift and struggling but Old Penarthians will have to show the same level of commitment and game intensity as they have shown in recent weeks if they are to register a win with a bonus point to see them climb the league.

Teams

P

W

D

L

Pts

Canton

15

15

0

0

72

St Albans

15

12

0

3

55

Treherbert

13

10

0

3

45

Caerau Ely

17

9

0

8

45

Llantwit Major

16

8

0

8

42

Old Penarthians

15

9

0

6

40

Wattstown

15

7

0

8

35

Tonyrefail

15

6

1

8

34

Llandaff

15

4

1

10

28

Ynysowen

15

3

1

11

19

Llandaff North

14

2

0

12

13

Glyncoch

11

1

1

9

4

 

The Canton match was the first time that Old Penarthians had tasted defeat in 2019 and with a week of rest it is hoped that captain Rhys Lakin and top try scorer Chris Poole will be back in the team after injury lay-offs.  Unfortunately, centre Liam Bevan is unlikely to be fit after damaging his thumb in his last outing in the first team.

Others needing time to recover from injuries sustained in the Canton fixture are Jon Crimp, James Beaton and Louis Chandler.  Chandler is not only one of a number of dynamic backrowers in the club, alongside Joel deClaire, Adan Cole, Josh Allcock and Matt Sutton, but he showed an off-field commitment by providing sponsorship for the 1st XV kit for the season through his scaffolding company, SMS.

 

He was joined in that venture by the Club’s fitness guru John Bruno and his company John Bruno Total Fitness and by Lisa Simmonds who persuaded her employer Admiral Insurance to provide sponsorship for grass-root sport.  Local based Admiral have in fact recently been named the Best Company to work for in the UK in a recent survey by The Sunday Times

The Club is always indebted to the generous support of their members who serve in voluntary capacities in the organisation.  Chairman Jon Vaughan acknowledges this fact when he says that the Club could not function without the hours of effort put into the running of the Club by hard working individuals who give their time freely for the benefit of the club but most importantly the rugby teams who represent the Club on a Saturday.

He went on thank all those that support the club but he made reference to two members, Ade Villis and Chris Watler, who turn up every Saturday morning before matches to ensure that the pitches are equipped with all the touch flags and post pads but most importantly that the pitches are clear of dog mess left by irresponsible owners.  Not a job for the faint-hearted.

The players also received support from Matt King of Keylite Windows who provided financial assistance for three articles of leisurewear that can be worn before and after matches to show a team identity.

The team are also raising funds themselves for a tour to the Plymouth area in early May and this adds to the camaraderie in the squad and in the Club, as the players will be joined by a number of ex-players and supporters who still enjoy the spirit engendered by the Old Penarthians.

All these commercial and voluntary efforts have been rewarded this year and the team have been competitive in most of the games played and they are currently sixth in the table with genuine hopes of finishing higher.  These are much improved performances over those seen last season when the fear of relegation was a real possibility and safety was only reached in last weeks of April.

A lot of credit should go to coaches Simon Hurley and Anthony Davies and their assistant Geraint ‘Trev’ Blake.  They have overseen a defensive structure which has seen the team concede the second fewest points in the league and whilst the scoring in attack may not have reached the heights that the talent in the threequarters possesses one opposition team will certainly feel the full force of their abilities.

Perhaps that performance will be against Glyncoch on Saturday when the match starts at 2.30pm at their ground on Coped-y-Lan Road, just north of Pontypridd.

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