Fixture

Pontyberem 18pts Aberystwyth 42

Aberystwyth’s penultimate League match of the season took them to Pontyberem on a fine spring Tuesday evening. With much to play for, the Ceredigion side were fully geared up for the encounter and, despite getting off to a slow start, the intensity of their play matched anything seen this season and before. It was in fact first blood to the visitors when, after eight minutes of play,  fly half Jason Rees landed an excellent penalty from the 10 metre line, 8 metres in from touch.

But then Pontyberem showed that they were in no mood for Aber to have their own way and shocked the visitors with two tries in nine minutes. A poor clearance kick from Aber led to the first, wing Andrew Kirkbride following up the chargedown for a try in the right corner. Another handling error inside their own 22 gave the home side another chance and they took it in style by distributing the ball from their scrum to the left wing this time where left wing Gwion Jones touched down.  But the Aber spirit kicked in and by the 20 minute mark they were back within two points, with good interplay from Paul Stubbs, Adam Carvell and Carwyn Evans before centre Steff Rees came in on the burst and scored his team’s opening try. The visitors were gaining momentum and another score seemed inevitable when they were penalised inside the Bont 22. A majestic upfield kick seemed to take the danger away, but touch was not found and a monster return kick re-created danger for Bont. Aber pressed hard in repeated scrums but when prop James Plumridge took a sharp pass from a ruck he spotted half a gap and was through it in an instant to give Aber’s second try. After the first kick, a couple of attempts had goal had gone astray so full back Llŷr Thomas stepped up to take over the kicking duties and he duly made it 10-15 to the visitors. Thomas added a penalty in the 39^th minute to extend the lead, but the home side struck back in stoppage time when Kirkbride claimed his brace for the two sides to turn around with the score at 15-18 in the visitors’ favour.

In the second half Aber’s determination grew immensely and wing Carwyn Evans was on the scoresheet just two minutes after the restart, a touchline conversion from Thomas making it 15-25.  Home skipper Mike Sauro landed a long range penalty to claw back the lead but that was to be the home side’s last score. In the 52^nd minute Aber’s speedy winger Adam Carvell got a try in the corner and two more tries at six minute intervals tied up the match. From a lineout five metres from the Bont line the visiting juggernaut went into action and it was almost inevitable that it was flanker Paul Stubbs who got the touchdown. The flanker was instrumental in Aber’s sixth try as well, feeding Steff Rees who burst through, stopped just short of the line where scrum half Gruff Jones was on hand in support to score. Thomas landed his third conversion to put Aber into an unassailable 18-42 lead with 16 minutes remaining. Pontyberem showed some determination to get another try that would give them a bonus point, but the Aber defence was in no mood to let them through. After a seven minute spell of torrid defence inside their own 22, the way the Aber players, to a man, punched the air when they finally cleared spoke volumes about their attitude on the evening.

Pontyberem had played to their usual high standard but no-one was going to beat Aberystwyth in this mood. The home side magnanimously praised an Aber performance that set them up for a possible League championship title. With one match to go they found themselves in pole position, and a win at Mumbles in four days’ time would put them out of reach of their nearest rivals, Penclawdd.

This match brought some 70 travelling supporters to Pontyberem for a midweek match and everything was now set up for a grand finale on the Gower peninsula on Saturday afternoon. All looked forward, with a slight degree of nervousness for the big day.

Alan Jones