Abersychan Match Report

BEAUFORT RFC 31 POINTS ABERSYCHAN 16 POINTS

Beaufort booked themselves a quarter final spot in the Welsh Districts cup with a 31 point to 16 win against Abersychan. Beaufort will take the win but it was not one of their better performances. The match was peppered with two many penalties particularly in the contentious ruck area and the game suffered accordingly

Beaufort wanted to win the game in a flourish and it was twenty minutes before the visitors were able to emerge from their own half . By this time Beaufort had struck twice from close range with two unconverted touchdowns all which were crafted from a well organised line out. No 8 Andrew Morgan was the beneficiary of the first and his flanker Jason Taylor stormed over for a second

Abersychan, who were top of the Newport and Pontypool District league and undefeated this season, failed to find any real momentum to seriously challenge the home side until very late into the encounter. They relied heavily on their standoff to kick them out of trouble and to keep some sort of fingertip hold on the scoreline from penalties which he kicked superbly from long range. He got one before half time but Beaufort struck back from another well worked ploy at the line out. Morgan was again on hand to grab his second try and Beaufort's third for a half time scoreline of 15 points to 3

Immediately following the break Aberyschan kicked a second penalty . Then came the high light of the match which brought Beaufort's fourth and best try . Set up by standoff Dylan Smith his weighted pass to Michael White was perfectly timed for the centre to leave the defence trailing in his wake and treat the supporters to an example of finishing brilliance .

The visitors did get a third penalty but Beaufort killed off the match with three of their own kicked by Smith . When the last rites were being played out Abersychan did show enough snap and ambition to breach the Beaufort defence for their solitary try scored under the posts but it was all too late to change the outcome.

It was in the line out where Beaufort's superiority was most pronounced. Lock Mark Heasely had a fine match as did new comer Gavin Williams in his first start of the season at hooker. But Beaufort's star man on the day was in form prop Justin Roberts.

BARRIE CASWELL

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