Tenby United 31 pts. Gowerton 33

With the league season coming to a close on Saturday, with G. D. Harries sponsored Tenby United taking on Gowerton in the final game at Heywood Lane, hopes and expectations were as high as usual for that elusive win, as had been the case for the entire season, but there was the worry that the final gathering of local supporters might again be disappointed.

Ironically, that worry was not to happen as, despite showing nine changes from the match squad for the previous game against Crymych, the performance and the way it happened will provide the team and management with the impetus they need going into the close season and for the loyal supporters to take into next season.

With Gowerton kicking off in conditions ideal for running rugby, skipper Luke Hansford was the first home player to get a taste of what was to come as he was clattered fielding the ball and knocked-on. The scrum has not recently been providing the necessary sound platform for Tenby and it was with some trepidation when the two sets of forwards were told to bind by referee Justin Williams as to what would then happen.

But with the new front row combination of Rob Clarke, Joe Poole and Jonny Palmer (returning on permit from Pembroke) creating a firm and sound foundation, the experienced second row combination of stalwarts Luke Dedman and Harry Bolton providing the necessary bulk and shove and a back row of Alex Thomas, Rob Weston and skipper Luke Hansford adding the final essential ingredient of momentum, Tenby shoved the visitors off their ball and won a strike against the head.

Following on from recent weeks when the scrum was virtually perpetually in retreat and being pushed all over the place, this provided the team with the confident start they needed and certainly roused local support around Heywood Lane.

This dominant play was repeated at the first lineout, with Luke Dedman challenging the Gowerton throw-in and from the ensuing ruck, their number seven was yellow-carded by referee Williams as he over-reacted to the situation as, after all, they were facing a side who had not won a game all season and weren’t expected to be so much trouble.

Tenby went into attack mode, with Luke Hansford brilliantly taking a low pass to keep an attacking move going, but Gowerton slowly got into the game and from turnover ball put Tenby under pressure and it was only a timely interception by the lively Toby Smith (another returning player on permit from Pembroke) that prevented the first score of the match.

Several sorties into the Gowerton 22 were repelled by the visitors and somewhat against the run of play a long run for the line by Lewis Williams was deemed to have involved a foot in touch as he crossed the whitewash - a call given by the honest Gowerton touch judge and much appreciated by the home crowd.

However, Gowerton managed a steal at the ensuing lineout and their player who had only just returned from his 10 minutes on the naughty seat crashed over and, with Josh Hamer slotting the conversion, Tenby surprisingly were staring at a 0-7 situation.

This somewhat fortunate score gave Gowerton the momentum they had lacked for the first quarter and from a series of pick and go’s from several breakdowns right on the Tenby line, they had a bout of white line fever as forward after forward tried to batter through a well-organised and resilient home defence when there were players free wide out on both flanks yelling for the ball to be spun out to them.

A five-metre scrum awarded by the referee provided the opportunity they required to gain their second score, but they were again shunted off the ball on their put-in and, despite being on their own line, Tenby burst into attack mode, with half-backs Davies and James bringing Jack Guerreiro, Toby Smith and Jordon Asparassa into play and stretching the visitors’ defence to breaking point.

Unfortunately following a ruck, Tenby lost the services of hard-working Harry Bolton, who was replaced by Wyndham Williams.

The attacking mode Tenby had shown for the majority of the game was maintained and it was Toby Smith who next starred as he took a crash ball in full flight and burst through the oncoming defence and set off on a jinking run, linking with his fellow backs, but again, totally against the run of play, a loose ball was scooped up by Joe Angelinoe, who set off on a long curving run to the Tenby line to go over for try number two that was converted by Hamer, taking the score out to 0-14.

As with the initial try, this again spurred Gowerton into action and a breakaway by winger Lewis Williams was brought to a spectacular halt, with a corner-flagging number eight Rob Weston bringing off the tackle of the game as he crunched the winger into touch inches from the try line, to bring an end to an entertaining first half.

Tenby failed to get off on the right foot straight from the restart, with the ball not travelling the necessary 10 metres, and with Jack Guerreiro and Scott James getting involved in some unsavoury off-the-ball afters, concentration levels dropped and hooker Rhys Thomas was driven over the line by his fellow Gowerton forwards, stretching the lead to 0-19.

With the restart again not travelling the desired distance, Tenby seemed to be slipping into sloppy mode, which has usually been the turning point in matches of late with the opposition wading in for tries and, despite an attack from a quick tap and go penalty by Toby Smith, which was carried on by Luke Dedman and Jordon Asparassa, a lobbed pass was grabbed by speedy Josh Hamer, who ran virtually the length of the field for a try. He converted, extending the score to 0-26…. and the worry was that there would be more to come… and another heavy defeat.

There was more to come... but not from Gowerton. With about 20 minutes of their atrocious league season remaining, Tenby threw caution to the wind and started running everything from anywhere and Gowerton crumbled under an avalanche of tries that were to follow.

Influential centre Toby Smith intercepted a pass deep inside the visitors’ half and trotted over for a try under the sticks, converted by Scott James, closing the score to 7-26.

The visitors were reduced to 14 when replacement Callum McCenssy was rather harshly yellow-carded for a ‘high’ tackle, which Tenby took full advantage of, with their replacement winger Conner Ennis going over in the corner following a bout of quick and clean passing for an unconverted try, taking the scores to 12-26, with Tenby now full of confidence from their adventurous style of play.

Tenby continued with this attacking mode from the restart, with play swinging from one side of the field to the other and a speculative kick over the advancing defence was aided by a very fortunate bounce, which Will Crockford scooped up and slipped the ball to supporting prop Rob Clarke, who joyfully slid over for an unconverted try, narrowing the lead to 17-26.

Things got worse for the visitors when from the restart Wyndham Williams went on a rampaging run through the oncoming Gowerton forwards, who parted like the Red Sea and, with Luke Hansford supporting Wyndham, the skipper dived over the whitewash for a try bonus earning point. With Toby Smith adding the extras, what had been a very comfortable 0-26 just 10 minutes earlier was now showing 24-26 and the Gowerton ‘team talk’ under the posts as the kick went over was a tad flowery, to say the least, with words like pathetic… spirit… they are the bottom club with no wins... mockery... and useless... being enhanced with descriptive expressions not allowed in a publication like the Tenby Observer.

A rampant Tenby, now urged on by a very vocal band of supporters whose shouts of encouragement echoed around Heywood Lane (and they have not had a lot to shout about this season), again went straight on the attack from the restart. Dan Colley, Luke Hansford, Jordon Asparassa, Luke Dedman and Joe Poole were all involved in a concerted attack which was illegally brought to a halt by Gowerton as they failed to release Toby Smith who had gone to ground. Unfortunately, what proved to be the decisive penalty kick sailed wide of the uprights and an opportunity to take the lead for the first time in the match went a begging.

Back up to a full complement, with the yellow-carded Callum McCenssy returning to the field, Gowerton, for the second time in the match, fooled Tenby with a lineout throw going to the first man, who slipped the ball quickly and accurately back to the ‘thrower-in’, who set off down the touchline and, with Richard Thomas on his shoulder, the ball was transferred and he slid over for a try wide out that was, as it turned out, crucially converted by Callum McCenssy, increasing the lead to 24-33.

With that try and a healthy lead, and with only a matter of minutes left to play, Gowerton must have thought that was that - job done. Wrong. Toby Smith had other ideas and sliced through the stretched visitors’ defence and released replacement scrum-half Will Crockford, who drew the last line of defence before managing to lob the ball back to Toby, who had looped around on his outside, and he crashed over the line with two Gowerton players hanging on still trying to prevent the score. A quick conversion by Scott James narrowed the scores to 31-33 with no time left to grab what could/would have been a well deserved victory. Sadly it was a case of grabbing a defeat from the jaws of victory.

Following the whistle and usual hand shakes with the opposition, the Tenby team remained on the pitch in a huddle obviously taking in what was being conveyed by coaches Cone and Richard Rossiter, which will undoubtedly be taken into off-season training.

Tenby United would like to thank all supporters who have turned up at Heywood Lane as well as the small group of hardy supporters who travel to away games and regarding this game - match sponsors Molson Coors, ball sponsor Coastal Cottages and the Tenby United man of the match award sponsored by Heywood’s Butchers of Saundersfoot.

Tenby United fielded: Dan Colley, Tom Dennis (Connor Ennis, 45), Jack Guerreiro, Toby Smith, Jordan Asparassa, Scott James, Sam Davies (Will Crockford, 41), Luke Hansford, Rob Weston, Alex Thomas, Luke Dedman, Harry Bolton (Wyndham Williams, 25), Rob Clarke, Joe Poole, Jonny Palmer Repplacements - Ethan Morgan, Wes Bonsor.