When the going gets tough....

In a week when officials questioned the commitment of some players and have called an emergency meeting to discuss the club’s future, Welshpool Rugby Club came out fighting to record their first win of the season.

 

Even Chairman Gary Williams was concerned that the club may not get enough players to fulfil the fixture at Bangor, but the rallying call made a difference.

Williams said today: “The fact that we had a team and a full bench of substitutes, despite a number of players declaring their unavailability for very valid reasons, has confirmed what I’ve always thought, that when the chips are down, the players of Welshpool Rugby Club will respond in the best way possible.”

Opting to play with the wind in the first half, 'Pool pressured their opponents from the off, but found themselves trailing 3-0 after a Bangor penalty nudged its way over the bar. The hosts did not keep this lead for long, however, as Daley Jones responded for Welshpool, making the score 3-3 at half time.

With Bangor playing with the wind, they went on the offensive, and a well-worked line-out move gave them a try and an 8-3 lead. Soon after, they stretched this lead to 13-3, and things were looking bleak for Welshpool.

Unlike on previous occasions, however, this Welshpool side did not give in, and forced a pushover try with No.8 and captain John White claiming the score. With the wind making goal kicks nearly impossible, it was obvious that another try was needed, and loosehead prop Ben Aldis was on hand to provide, which drew the scores level.

When Jones hit the post with his conversion attempt, it seemed that the game might end at a draw, but neither side was finished yet.

With the wind behind them, Bangor seized upon an attempt at goal from a penalty. In ordinary circumstances, the kick would have been little more than a formality, but these were no ordinary circumstances, and the howling wind drove the ball against the upright.

With the game in its dying moments, Welshpool surged upfield, with a string of penalties forcing the hosts ever closer to their tryline. With the game down to the final play, Jones stepped up and slotted over a penalty, which was immediately followed by the final whistle and a long-overdue victory.

Welshpool: Ben Aldis, Barry Williams, Pete Davies, Nick Larder, Gareth Gregory, Pete Thomas, Mark Williams, John White (C), Terry Breeze, Daley Jones, Hywel Lloyd, Andrew Thomas, John-Rhys Davies, Dan Lloyd, Jamie Jones
 

Replacements: Darren Williams, David Owen, Sean Jones, Wyn Jones

Tries: John White, Ben Aldis
Penalties: Daley Jones (2)

 

 

A single try was enough for COBRA to get the better of Dolgellau to keep the pressure on the higher places of the Gogledd Division Two North.