Fixture

                                              Lampeter Saints 23 – v - 24 Aberystwyth Athletic

Aberystwyth Athletic travelled to Lampeter for their second league game of the season to face Lampeter Saints. In near perfect conditions for rugby, both sides were evenly matched with much of the play centered around the half way line with neither side was able to break down their opponents’ defence.
It was the home team who settled into their rhythm quicker and, assisted by some poor Aber tackling, started to make headway into the opposition half. Moving the ball across their back line, the home centre was able to slice the Aber defence open and cross unopposed under the posts where he converted his own try to give the home team a deserved 7 – 0 lead. From the kick off, again poor tackling by the visitors allowed the home number 8 to charge up field into the Aber 22 where, from a resulting off-side, the hosts were awarded a penalty to take a 10 – 0 lead.
Aber then started edging back into the game and an excellent break by outside half Craig Debell saw them sweep up field into their opponents 22, but again indiscipline let the them down and Lampeter were awarded a penalty for not releasing. From the resulting lineout Lampeter converted another penalty giving them a 13 – 0 lead.
This seemed to finally spur Aber into more spirited action and some strong running by flanker Charles Handsford, and captain Dorian Jones resulted in a penalty for the visitors. From the resulting lineout Aber drove to just outside their opponents 22 from which ever-alert scrum half Steff Turner broke down the blindside to feed an inside pass to ever present Handsford to crash over in the corner. An excellent touchline conversion by prop Llyr Davies close the gap to 13 – 7. From the restart Aber went straight back on the attack and some strong running by debutant Aeron Gwynne in the centre earned them a penalty which Davies duly converted for a 13 – 10 score line.
With only minutes of the half remaining more missed tackles by Aber saw the home side back on the attack and another offside infringement saw the home team convert the penalty for a 16 – 10 halftime lead.

To their credit the Aber team started the second half with more organisation and determination and much better tackling, particularly by Aeron Gwynne and the ever present Guto Bryn-Jones. Scrum half Steff Turner was now starting to pull the strings for the Aberystwyth team and with the pack now carrying and making good ground the visiting backs found themselves with much more space to run the ball. After some excellent work by the forwards the ball was moved along the backline for Aeron Gwynne to penetrate the home defence with
a strong run to score Aber’s second try, again converted by Llyr Davies, for a scoreline of 17 – 16 to the visitors.

Aber increased their lead from a quick tap penalty taken by Turner. Handsford and Joe Wood were in support to make good ground. Handsford broke clear and, when challenged, he passed back inside to ever-present hooker Rhydian Harries to cross under the posts. Davies converted to give the visitors a 24 – 16 lead. With less than 10 minutes remaining the visitors then found themselves adjudged to have committed a series of offside offences and the home side were awarded a penalty five meters out under the posts. One of the home players then took a quick tap and was stopped by the ever-alert Parry with a strong tackle.

Inexplicably, Parry was yellow-carded for this tackle and as Aber were now a forward short, Lampeter opted for a scrum. But Aber’s seven forwards showed great determination and drove the home side off the ball to secure a penalty. With less than a minute left it was the home side who had the final say as they scored a late converted try to close the scoring at 24 – 23 to Aber.

The Athletic will face Nantgaredig Legends at home next Saturday 1^st October.