Aberystwyth Athletic 17
Pembroke 2nds 7
Aberystwyth Athletic welcomed Pembroke 2nds to Plascrug in what proved to be a very entertaining game.
From the kick off and playing into a strong breeze the visitors put the Athletic under pressure keeping them in their own 22.
But strong defence from the home side with Robbie Parry securing possession allowed Sam Davies to clear the ball down field.
Pressure from the hosts earned them a penalty.
A kick to the corner and possession won at the lineout resulted in a strong drive for the line and after a series of pick and goes, Ryan Richards barged over for Aberystwyth’s first try.
The Athletic made life difficult for themselves by not making use of the strong breeze at their backs and as a result they found themselves under pressure from a determined Pembroke team.
More strong defending kept Pembroke out before a strong break by the ever present captain, Sion Evans, who had an outstanding game, again relieved the pressure.
From this break the home side charged up field with a series of off loads that took them into the position 22. Sam Davies then produced a sublime cross field kick that was brilliantly gathered by debutant Alesjandro Rowlands who crossed in the corner for a 10-0 halftime lead.
Aber made a couple of changes at the interval to help deal with a gusty wind and to strengthen the team’s determination.
Pembroke employed the tactic of long downfield kicks but these were to no avail as the home side’s fullback Austin Ellis-Jones was immense under the high ball and look a real threat each time he launched a counterattack.
The hosts’ final try came after their forwards drove to the opposition line with a series of pick up and goes.
Man of the match Sam Davies started a move that saw the ball spread wide along the back line where a song run by inside centre Will Bromham released his mid field partner Ryan Gilmour to cross for a try.
Davies added the conversion for a 17-0 lead.
The home side now looked to attack at every opportunity but a number of handling errors or infringements stopped their progress.
With the game in the dying seconds Pembroke made a break up field and after some tired attempts at tackling by the home side, they scored a converted try under the posts for a final score of 17-7 to the home side who fully deserved their victory.
Pontyclun Youth 13
Aberystwyth Youth 7
Aberystwyth Youth were eliminated from the WRU Bowl competition by Pontyclun Youth in a close away game on Saturday. Under the circumstances, following several postponed matches and illness among players, Aber’s young squad did well.