Caernarfon Ladies 15 - Whitland Ladies 19
Whitland Ladies secured a terrific double result in North Wales after edging out a strong Caernarvon outfit as reward for such a long trip.
Caernarfon lost this double header, being both league and cup quarter final fixture during the last play of the match and ironically they lost a league encounter the previous week at Cardiff Met in the same scenario.
The game itself was a tense affair from start to finish with neither side being able to dominate and keep possession for any substantial period of time.
Caernarvon start well
Caernarfon probably had the better of the opening exchanges through driving at the heart of the Whitland defence and recycling well with Number 8 Olwyn Jones being a prominent handful.
However it was centre Alaw Davies who made the initial break for the first try before feeding Jones, who released scrum half Jess Kavanagh Williams, who outsprinted the cover and then converted to record the first seven pointer on ten minutes.
Walsh leads visitors’ fight-back
Caernarfon relaxed and on Whitland's first incursion into Cofi territory. Nat Walsh’s angled run from a feed from the back of the scrum saw them draw level almost immediately as composed and dependable fullback Karen Mayze added the conversion.
Some twenty minutes followed with few opportunities being created by either side as Caernarfon's breaks close to the scrum were being stifled by solid tackling from flankers Jenny Collins and Angharad Williams, whilst space out wide was limited to both sides.
Unexpected move pays dividends
The encounter called for the unexpected and on the half hour a quickly taken penalty by Kavanagh Williams caught Whitland unaware as she weaved her way to the try line but not close enough to the posts to slot the conversion.
The Whitland scrum was functioning well with Sara Davies marshalling her pack effectively and as half time loomed a scrum close to the Cofi line afforded good quick ball and fullback Karen Mayze joined the line to create the extra runner and tie the scores at the break.
Cagey second half
The second half was equally as cagey with everyone aware that a minor error could prove very costly. Neither team appeared to have the ability to undo the other’s defence but Whitland were a little more composed when closing in on the Cofi line.
However it was a kick up field and combined chase that led to a holding-on call which nudged Caernarfon three points clear from Kavanagh Williams' successful penalty with ten minutes remaining.
Senior players seal success
Whitland were reliant on their senior players to claw their way back into the game and makeshift centre Natalie Walsh had two effective charges that found her brought to ground inches short whilst stand-off Rachel Norris also came close after a powerful run.
With time running out and nerves frayed Whitland got possession and Norris found Mayze at her side to deal the knockout blow as she waltzed through to ground between the sticks and once again slot the conversion. For Caernarfon there was no way back as full time was signalled and left the Borderettes as victors.
Bethesda, Nant Conwy, Caernarfon Under 18’s 0 - Whitland Under 18’s 47
The Whitland under 18 squad travelled with their senior counterparts to face a combined and inexperienced team from Bethesda, Nant Conwy and Caernarfon and the gap in experience soon became apparent as Whitland were able to spin the ball wide and constantly find players in support to score at regular intervals.
Winger Marged Williams was supplied with a constant supply of ball scoring the first and creating a number of others. Forward charges brought two tries for effective Number 8 Amy Morgan with hooker Lauren Morgan's good support work bringing her a deserved grounding.
Powerful Libby Jones secured two tries as a result of her charges whilst scrum half Ceulyn Davies drifted through to score the final try. One other impressive feat was the place kicking of stand-off Lauren George, who slotted six from seven attempted conversions, with some from distance and from an acute angle.
The home teams battled hard but the Young Borderettes were great value for victory and the conveyor belt of talented female rugby players in the club is still moving very smoothly!