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Aberystwyth Athletic 26 – v – 11 Aberaeron Second XV

This was the first time the newly formed Athletic had met their old rivals and a very entertaining encounter it proved to be. Aberaeron’s XV had obviously played together many times previously whereas the Athletic squad is still just settling in.

Aberaeron kicked off and soon went ahead with a penalty in front of the posts. Aber responded with a try from Austin Ellis-Jones, well converted by captain, Daniel Elwyn. The visitors hit back, and from a ruck close to the home line they worked their way over for their opening try. This was unconverted but they increased their lead with a second penalty before half time.

The score of 7 – 11 at the interval was a fair reflection of the way the game had gone in the first forty minutes. However, words of wisdom from head coach Iestyn Thomas put more fire and ambition into their team. He has insisted that the Athletic squad is an integral part of the senior system and with the introduction of players from a strong bench the Athletic became more competitive in the scrummages and won more lineout ball. They used this possession more constructively with flowing moves involving forwards and backs.

As a result, the second half was one of the most exciting and entertaining periods of rugby seen at Plascrug for some time with the home side playing a faster, more open game that their opponents couldn’t live with. With well-worked tries from Celt Lewis, Dylan Benjamin and Evan Rowbotham and two excellent conversions by Daniel Elwyn, they turned a four point half-time deficit into a nineteen point winning margin as they became increasingly dominant, gaining more possession and territory as the game went on.

This performance, especially behind the scrum, shows that the introduction of a second senior XV at Plascrug has already created a reservoir of ambitious and determined competitors for first team places, which should lead to better team performances at both levels in the near future.