Fixture

Llanybydder 31pts    Aberystwyth 20

Aberystwyth’s faultless record came to an abrupt end on Saturday as they tasted defeat at Llanybydder. It has become apparent as the season has progressed that November would be the month of challenge for the Ceredigion side, the dice of the fixture planning having rolled them a schedule that they started the campaign against one or two of the weaker sides in the League. And so this proved to be the case as the home side clinically kept building up the points and quelled most of the light and dark blue attacks.

As the sides sized each other up in the opening minutes, Aber were dealt a hefty early blow by losing full back Rhodri Richards to injury after just seven minutes. But the visitors regrouped well and it was they who opened the scoring in the twelfth minute of play. Aberystwyth had worked themselves up the slope into the Llanybydder 22 and controlled the ball well from a lineout seven metres out. Their patient advance to the line was well rewarded when, almost inevitably nowadays, flanker Paul Stubbs secured the touchdown for the first try of the game. Five minutes later Aber summoned up their defensive skills in clearing the ball from their own line; they stole the ball from the ensuing Llanybydder lineout and smartly passed the ball to the right for the full width of the pitch. When the ball got to wing Adam Carvell he was 48 metres from the tryline but the young speed merchant weaved through the defenders to shock the home crowd with an excellent try, and the visitors were ten points ahead inside the first quarter. Six minutes later the visiting forwards were adjudged to be standing up in a scrum on half way and home fly half Tom Wilson landed an enormous penalty from just inside his own half. Aber compounded matters with a faulty restart and the home side pressured them into their half. Wilson landed a 30 metre penalty when the visitors transgressed and his side were suddenly back to within four points.

Aberystwyth then seemed to lose some composure and Llanybydder took full advantage of playing down the slope. Just on the half hour the home side were awarded a scrum eight metres from the Aber line following some intense pressure. From this they channelled the ball out to right wing Daniel Garside who scored in the corner, putting the home side into the lead for the first time in the match at 11-10. Aberystwyth did their best to weather the pressure and the swirling wind in the final ten minutes but succumbed to a well worked move from a scrum 10 metres out. When the ball was passed out full back Will Davies came in at a delightful angle on the burst to touch down under the posts. Wilson’s conversion made it 18-10 and the league leaders approached half time in a very unaccustomed manner.

Aber started the second half positively and when the home side were reduced to 14 men after just four minutes, things might have looked better for them. Losing a half back is a serious blow to any team but Llanybydder did extremely well to contain the visitors in that ten minute period. There were repeated penalties and Aber went for the corner on several occasions, but they just could not get past the defence. It is true to say however that this was in part due to their own play as they did not perform to their level in this match, unforced errors ruining many a moment of promise. In the tenth minute Wilson’s boot took play deep into the Aber half and the home fly half rubbed salt into Aber wounds by landing a drop goal to extend his side’s lead. Just as the period of numerical supremacy came to an end Aber clawed back three points when skipper Jason Rees landed a 48 metre penalty. This pattern of play continued and despite several periods of encampment inside the home 22 Aberystwyth just could not string the moves together. Llanybydder on the other hand were playing possibly their best match of the season and were quite content to patiently contain their visitors. When they got the chance to launch a fervent attack into the Aber 22, Wilson landed another drop goal to keep the scoreboard ticking. The outcome was settled in the 74^th minute when Llanybydder were far too sharp for the Aber defence inside the 22 and replacement hooker Paul Gravel got his side’s third try in the very corner. A touchline conversion from Wilson put it beyond doubt at 31-13. To their credit however Aberystwyth retaliated immediately and a good team effort fed Carvell in the final stages of a move; the winger was stopped just short of the line but flanker Bryn Sheperd was there to touch down for a third try for the visitors. Rees showed that he too could convert from wide out to make it 31-20. The visitors tried their best to get what would have been a very lucrative (in League point terms) fourth try in the final three minutes but to no avail and had to return home empty handed.

Aberystwyth now have an immediate chance to bounce back straight away as they entertain much-fancied Pontyberem at Plascrug on Saturday in a 2.30pm kick-off match, whilst their second XV travel to Crymych.