Commitment: No shortage from either side, with sore bodies on Sunday! Skill Levels: Not of the highest standard but it was the season’s opener and will improve. Entertainment: A cracking game to watch – it was fast and furious, the crowd was animated and the result was in doubt until the final whistle! Llangwm celebrated in style as they achieved their first victory in an opening match of any season since 1996 and a first win over Cardigan ten years earlier than that as acting skipper Josh Hicks scored their opening try and went close several times, whilst he was joined as a man of the match candidate by Andrew Fletcher, the 42 year old forward who came on early for The Teifisiders’ pack and brought his experience to good effect up front. It was The Wasps who made by far the better start as they played down the slope at Pill Parks and Hicks created two clear-cut chances with 40 metre runs but he was unable to find support and the chances were gone as Cardigan scrambled desperately, with skipper Tom Taylor, Sion Phillips and Osian Rees hugely involved.
Hayman wide before Hicks ploughs over
Luke Hayman missed a penalty that was well within his scope and a lovely break by full back Matthew Lewis put Dan Morgan into space but the winger was held up inches short – and good work from Lewis Murphy and Adam Williams saw the home side have several other close-range probes before Hicks finally crashed through in the left corner; with Hayman’s well-struck penalty hitting the wrong side of the upright. Cardigan made the odd sortie up field but Llangwm kept going close without success as scrum half Ollie Davies was literally inches short of the line and so was Jason Mock, another who had a god game up front alongside James Lewis, Dave Reynolds and the rest.
But at half time it was felt that five points wasn’t sufficient reward for so much pressure and Cardigan showed their ability to score from long range soon after the restart as full back Iwan John made a good break and quick hands from Matthew Roebuck, Llyr Jones and Kester Adams saw centre Geraint Williams outpace the cover to score at the posts so that Llyr Jones had the simplest of conversions. Murphy claims a vital score Llangwm, however, were lucky to have replacements of the calibre of Ian Griffiths, Yale Grice and Steve Lewis and they settled The Wasps down again in a series of close-range scrums from which Lewis Murphy dived over in the top left corner as reward for his terrific work in attack and defence. Hayman missed the conversion and a penalty chance and in a tense finale Cardigan had their chances, as did Llangwm, and the final whistle saw The Wasps understandably thrilled with victory and The Teifisiders at the other extreme. Llangwm: Matthew Lewis: Dan Morgan; Lewis Murphy; Adam Williams: Kieran Chesters: Luke Hayman; Ollie Davies: Will Scriven; Phil Llewellin; Gavin Jones: Dave Reynolds; Jason Mock: James Lewis; Rhys Thomas; Josh Hicks (Capt). Replacements: Ian Griffiths; Yale Grice; Matt Lewis; Steve Rees; James Griffiths. Cardigan: Iwan John: Gwern Phillips; Geraint Williams; Gruff Lewis; Rhodri Davies: Llyr Jones; Matthew Roebuck: William Price; Ben Cox; Ben Hughes: Kester Adams; Dyfed Simmonds: Sion Phillips; Osian Rees; Tom Taylor (Capt). Replacements: Phil Atwell; Gwyndaf James; Ifan Morgan; Andrew Fletcher; Luke Palmer-Davies; Rob Connolly.
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