COBRA go top after tense finale

They started badly and conceded an early penalty to go 3-0 down, but replied and should have crossed over after lengthy pressure but had to settle for a penalty scored by outside half Alwyn Williams to level.

COBRA continued to apply the pressure but were unable to add to their lead through a combination of last ditch defending by Wrexham and errors. However, near the end of half Wrexham were reduced to 14 men when their scrum half was shown the red card for a head butt.

COBRA took advantage and scored their try early in the second half through hooker Chris Davies who received a return pass from a lineout to score in the corner. COBRA looked as though they would go on to win the game comfortably, but to Wrexham’s credit they responded well. Wrexham’s forwards kept possession and forced COBRA to defend for long periods. In the final 10 minutes Wrexham were camped on the COBRA try line and looked certainties to score. Strong tackling around the fringes of rucks kept Wrexham at bay until ultimately the ball was turned over and kicked into touch to end the game.

1 H Jones 2 C Davies 3 A Evans 4 R Evans 5 G R Evans 6 C Morris 7 G Evans 8 A Davies 9 I Vaughan 10 A Williams 11 12 E Pryce 13 A Pryce 14 M Jones 15 S Williams 16 A Roberts 17 J Watkin 18 J Thomas 19 L Williams

Welshpool fell to their third heavy defeat of the season, despite outperforming their opponents for lengthy periods.

A bright start saw Welshpool camped in the Dolgellau 22, but the home side's defence held strong, with Welshpool coming away with a 3-0 lead from a Daley Jones penalty. Jones was unlucky not to double his tally when a kick from the halfway line struck the woodwork, and other kickable opportunities were overlooked in favour of kicking for the corner.

After a period of play that could have seen Pool take a 12-0 lead, they found themselves 12-3 down after two Dolgellau tries knocked the stuffing out of the Welshpool momentum. A further two tries before half time gave Dolgellau a 24-3 lead at the interval, and effectively put the game beyond Welshpool’s reach.

Much like the first half, it was Welshpool who started the second half strongest, yet they still could not find a way through. Dolgellau again found their way back up the field, scoring two more before Welshpool could re-establish themselves. A further burst of Welshpool pressure ensued, but again their hosts held firm and capitalised on turnover ball to score a further three tries before the final whistle.

Frank Johns, Welshpool Head Coach, said: “Fitness is obviously still a key issue, but this was a better performance than last week. We had some great passages of play, but when Dolgellau scored, they didn't just score once, they would score two or three times before we could get ourselves back in the game. We are a better side than the results are suggesting, but it is up to us to work on our weaknesses, rather than use them as an excuse.”

Team

Ben Aldis, Ryan Griffiths, Dan Hulse, Dan Archer, Gareth Gregory, Tom Roberts, Fred White, Pete Thomas, Tom Carter (C), Dave Roberts, Hywel Lloyd, Ryan Evans, Daley Jones, John-Rhys Davies, Chay Bowles
Replacements: Barry Williams, Pete Davies, Mike Savage, John McNicholas