Youth Match 09-10

1st May '10

C/Bay v Llangollen

Wednesday 10th March

NW Youth Cup

Denbigh Youth 20 Colwyn Bay Youth 15

This rearranged cup match was finally played under the lights at Denbigh mid-week after the original fixture was postponed due to the late withdrawal of the referee with The Bay being made aware of the decision 10 minutes before arriving at Denbigh RFC.

The Bay suffered a major set back when inspirational captain and No8 John Astbury withdrew from the team due to a neck injury in the pre-match warm up, therefore Jason Hughes was called into the starting line-up.

Denbigh started the match hungrier and confident and their forwards soon stamped their authority on the game while The Bay showed them too much respect. The first score was inevitable when The Bay were penalised for killing the ball in their 22 and then went further behind when the home side secured quick ball and swept the ball wide to score in the corner.

After the opening exchanges the visitors settled into their game and started to punch holes in the Denbigh defence through good solid work by the forwards sucking in the defenders to create space for the backs to continue the momentum. Scrum-half Gaz Williams scored an excellent individual try during this period of pressure beating three defenders to score. The home side showed their ruthlessness in the contact area and the No8 was prominent in this department when he stole the ball on the visitors 10m line to sprint over the line to score to extend Denbigh's' lead before half-time.

The Bay increased the intensity and work rate in the second half winning more turnover ball and gaining good yards across the gain-line while the home side suffered numerous injuries to disrupt their shape. Winger Matt Jones could have narrowed Denbigh's' advantage but was judged to have put his foot in touch before grounding the ball. The home side stretched their lead after being awarded a line-out on The Bays' 5m line and from subsequent phases crashed over after the referee had judged that the ball had gone out on the full and awarded The Bay a drop out 22 but he reversed his decision after the home linesman awarded the line-out. The Bay became increasingly frustrated by the referee whose decisions appeared to be influenced by the home sides representatives. Entering the last 10 minutes the home side were confident of progressing into the next round but they were dealt a scare when The Bay scored two tries by winger Adam Loundes and full-back Tom Roberts, unfortunately the last try was scored with the final play of the match.

Mirroring the national sides performance in the 6 Nations The Bay started slowly and left it late to get some sort of result in this cup-tie, they were put on the back foot through their own mistakes but the lads showed tremendous courage, fitness, character and endeavour to lose by 5 points.

6th March '10

Mold Youth 27 Colwyn Bay Youth 0

The final result suggests The Bay suffered a heavy defeat but Mold were made to work hard for the victory. Mistakes or poor decision making led to the majority of Molds' tries. The Bay made a confident start by attacking the home sides, line good ball retention, going through the phases and showing a willingness to spread the ball wide. Mold scored a converted try mid way through the first half when their No.8 powered over the line after picking up from the base of the scrum on the 5m line.

Molds' awareness of The Bays' ability at the line-out resulted in them opting to successfully kick a penalty from the visitors 10m line rather than kicking for territory.

The Bay's pack improved at the scrum during the match which gave them a better platform to release the talented backs and also gained numerous turn-overs. The Bays' backs matched their opponents in attack and defence and they were unlucky not to score a try in the closing stages when the final pass did not go to hand and was intercepted by the Mold winger to sprint 70m to score the final try.

Wednesday 17th February 2010

North Wales Youth Cup 1st Round

Colwyn Bay Youth 21 Caernarfon Youth 12

Fly-half Will Evans thought that having stretched his sides lead by four points with barely less than a minute left to play he had secured a passage into the next round, but right winger Dan Parry capitalized on a poor re-start by Caernarfon which did not go the required 10m,he cleanly caught the ball and with the referee playing advantage he sprinted half the length of the pitch to touchdown to seal the victory.

After two postponements due to the weather conditions this game was finally played under the lights at home on a sticky pitch. Both sides were equally matched but The Bay opened the scoring when Will Evans converted a penalty for handling in the ruck by the visitors No.8.The Cofis raised their game after this and their forwards were consistently gaining yards beyond the gain-line, their first try came in this period after the home defence had absorbed relentless pressure until they powerfully drove over the line.

Will Evans replied with another penalty kick after the break to reduce the score-line to a point in the visitors favour. The Cofis fly-half kicking game kept on pushing The Bay back further towards their own line but from the line-out Bay's inside centre Joe Chaplin chose to counter-attack across his line before kicking the ball away up field for the ever alert Dan Parry to win the ball and sprint before being bundled into touch deep in the opposition half. This was an inspiration to the rest of the players to raise their game which from the subsequent line-out the ball was spread wide to left-wing Adam Lowndes to score in the left corner, Will Evans kicked a difficult conversion to restore the home sides lead.

As expected The Cofis hit back and mid way through the half their powerful back-row combined to score a try which was unconverted to set-up a tense final quarter.

As the game progressed The Bay forwards started to win more turn-over ball and they were not content on consolidating their lead, gaps appeared in the visitors defence for the backs to exploit. Entering the final minutes frustration crept into The Cofis game and with The Bay finishing the stronger side they were awarded a penalty for serious foul play outside the 22.Will Evans confidently scored to set-up Caernarfon's last possible chance,

This was thwarted by the poor restart and Dan Parry's excellent awareness to run over half the length of the pitch.

Saturday 30^th January 2010

Colwyn Bay Youth 0 Wrexham Youth 26

The Bay produced a spirited display after being sidelined for six weeks due to holidays and the adverse weather conditions. The home side started strongly playing most of the rugby in the opposition half, but after a lucky break Wrexham scored the first of their four tries. Most of the game was played between the 22’s and The Bay found it difficult to breakdown a well organised defence, but the backs were adventurous in trying to re-create pre-planned moves to exploit any weaknesses. The forwards had to work hard against a heavier and hungrier pack with the Wrexham prop consistently crossing the gain-line. Rustiness was evident in Colwyn Bay’s play but their spirit and determination never faded.

12th December 2009

Colwyn Bay Youth 12 Llangefni Youth 14

Ollie Collinge's two tries was not enough to beat an older Llangefni side who had to come back from a 12 point deficit to steal a win in the last five minutes of the match at the re-arranged venue of Ysgol John Bright. Captain and centre Ollie Collinge scored his tries in both halves of the game in similar fashion after good work at the line-out, quick recycling and spreading the ball to the inside-centre to penetrate the Cefni defence with his trade-mark side-step and speed. Spencer Lumby was unlucky to hit the bar with his difficult first conversion attempt, but confidently slotted the second over in front of the posts.

The Bay had to absorb long periods of pressure by the Islanders and an excellently organised defensive display nullified many of Cefni's attacks. Whereas The Bay scored from set-pieces Llangefni scored their tries from turn-over ball causing panic in the Bay defence and they were fortunate in having an experienced place kicker in their squad. The visitors had most of the territory in this match and would have been disappointed if they had lost but it is a sign of how the game has changed that it is vital to a well organised defence. Captain Ollie Collinge was named man of the match for his two outstanding tries and his defensive work.

5th December 2009

Bala Youth 24 Colwyn Bay Youth 0

Stand-in captain Dan Evans saw his side concede two early tries from which there was no way back. Playing on an undulating pitch The Bay were forced to play for long periods in their own half and they struggled to create any platform from which they could launch an attack, but their efforts were thwarted by the hungrier Bala side. The visitors made the majority of the tackling which proved to have a tiring effect on the players. Dan Evans was awarded man of the match for his excellent tackling and leadership, unfortunately this was his last game for The Bay youth before he goes abroad to work.

Saturday 28th November 2009

Denbigh Youth 41 Colwyn Bay Youth 20

A depleted Bay side travelled to Denbigh for this league encounter which saw them make a confident start by scoring two tries in the first 10 minutes. Early forward pressure caused panic in the home side defence, Spencer Lumby's probing kick crossed the try line and winger Adam Lowndes was quickest to react to ground the ball. Matt Jones got on the score sheet with a well worked training ground move saw him use his pace and strength to beat would-be tacklers to score. Poor discipline by the home side resulted in the conversion being changed to a penalty in front of the posts to make the score line 0-13.Mid-way through the first half Denbigh turned the game around to their advantage when their open side flanker tackled and jakalled to win the ball to put his side on the front foot, during this period they scored two tries to trail by a point at half time.

Denbigh continued to pile on the pressure in the second half and The Bay were forced into making too many mistakes causing a sense of frustration and subsequently leading to a couple of sin-bins. A rare opportunity in the second half fell to Captain Ollie Collinge after his touch finding penalty the line-out was won and he received the pass to cross the line. A very frustrating day at the office would describe the performance which would be classed as another hard lesson in rugby made even worse with the news that full-back Henry Morris played most of the match with a broken wrist.

7th November 2009

Colwyn Bay Youth 3 Mold Youth 22

The Bay welcomed Mold to Brookfield Drive who are traditionally are strong outfit. The home side were forced to make 10 changes to the side which lost to Ruthin the previous week because of unavailability and injury, prop Jack Dennis was the only survivor in the pack and four changes, one positional were forced in the back line. Joe Roberts and Glyn Griffiths made a timely return from injury to strengthen up the scrum. The Bay started confidently going through the phases but damp conditions produced poor handling. old scored their first try within 10 minutes after a couple of missed tackles let the backs in to score. Fly-half Spencer Lumby's attempted penalty effort unluckily hit the post after The Bay hit back after the Mold try. Spencer did make amends for his earlier miss by slotting over a penalty to put The Bay on the scoreboard. Poor defensive organisation led to Mold's second try with the visitors exploiting large gaps. Bay's full-back Dan Evans tried to counter attack from his own 10m crossing half-way but unfortunately his inside pass was intercepted by the Mold centre to sprint across the line to stretch the lead.

The Bay scrummaged strongly against a heavier pack and as the game progressed they more than matched their opponents. Mold's forwards would be disappointed at the amount of turnovers they conceded which showed the commitment shown by The Bay players. Mold's defence did not allow The Bay's backs time or space to create any pre planned moves and they found it difficult to cross the gain-line. The Bay defence was put to the test several times in the second half and dug deep to hold the visitors but Mold scored one more try in the last period. Rhodri Lloyd was prominent around the tackle area and text book jackaling was a major factor in awarding him the man of the match despite being prematurely substituted because of an unsavoury stamping incident which the referee saw but surprisingly unable to pin-point the offender. For the second week The Bay showed tremendous endeavour, courage and stamina to continue to play the full match with enthusiasm considering wholesale personnel changes, which shows an excellent squad spirit and commitment.

31st October 2009

Colwyn Bay Youth 3 Ruthin Youth 8

The Bay youth produced a courageous defensive display against a strong well organised Ruthin side, keeping the score down to single figures through a try and a penalty. The two sides found it difficult to play open expansive rugby with numerous infringements and handling errors stopping the flow of the game. The Bay's superiority at the lineout was their main source of attack but the backs were hardly given any time and space by the Ruthin defence to exploit any gaps. The home pack controlled their own put-in at the scrum very well considering that the majority of the time they were going backwards due to the heavier, stronger pack they faced. Territory and possession was equally shared between the two sides in the first half but Ruthin scored the only try of the game mid way through the first period when the opposition outside-centre broke through a couple of missed tackles to score.

Ruthin dominated territorially the second half with The Bay having to defend for long periods deep in their own half, it seemed that once the home side cleared their lines the ball almost immediately came back into their half. During a rare occasion that The Bay ventured into opposition territory fly-half Will Evans converted a penalty goal after Ruthin went offside. Ruthin could only extend tier lead with a penalty in the second period which showed that The Bay's commitment, courage, discipline, fitness and concentration were huge factors in this gutsy performance. Gaz Williams was named man of the match for his total commitment.

Saturday 17th October 2009

Nant Conwy Youth 17 Colwyn Bay Youth 36

Victory tasted even sweeter with the news that this was the first win for 15 years over Nant at youth level and scoring six quality tries in the process. This was billed as a training match and both sides tried to play open entertaining rugby. The Bay settled quickly into their game pressurising the Nant defence by closing down time and space forcing Nant to kick possession to gain territory. Bay full-back Henry Morris capitalised from one of these clearance kicks to cleanly pick-up the ball, making good ground offloaded to No.8 John Astbury whose pass found scrum-half Gaz Williams to score the first try. Nant hit back and scored a breakaway try to level the scores. This was the wake-up call that The Bay needed to keep control of the game with the pack working well in the scrum and winning virtually every ball in the line-out. Captain Ollie Collinge's pace and flair at centre was always a threat to the Nant boys and he put his side back in front with try which was converted by Spencer Lumby. Nant yet again bounced back when a speculative chip over the Bay defence was touched down under the posts to make it 12-12.

The Bay re-grouped and the forwards battled bravely for the ball,No8 John Astbury re-gained the lead when he burst through several would-be tacklers to take the lead going into the interval.

The game went into a surprisingly flat period after the restart and The Bay suffered a huge blow when influential prop Glyn Griffith was carried off with a potentially serious knee injury, Matt Jones scored a try before the referee could stop the game to treat the prop. The Bay opted for uncontested scrums after this but continued to attack with outside-centre Tom Roberts scything his way over the line for his sides fifth try. Although Nant scored anther try The Bay secured victory when Gaz William's determination drove him over the line to gain a huge morale boosting win.

John Astbury was named man of the match for his commitment both in attack and defence.

Saturday October 10th 2009

Colwyn Bay Youth 27 Pwllheli Youth 5

A good solid performance saw The Bay youth score five tries in this friendly match against Pwllheli. Playing on an excellent surface the visitors were put under early pressure and they were frequently penalised for offside, fly-half Spencer Lumby converted one of these offences to open the scoring.

Man of the match Jason Hughes relished in his role at No.8,having being originally selected as a flanker was moved to No.8 seconds before the first whistle because first choice Mo Portilio was drafted into strengthen the second team. Jason's powerful, direct running was a factor in his side's first try, he picked up at the base of the scrum in the Pwllheli 22 drove down the blind side taking with him a couple of defenders, produced quick clean ball which was switched to the opposite direction and good passing down the back line for outside-centre Tom Roberts to score, Spencer Lumby converted a difficult kick. The Bay continued move the ball wide at every opportunity and winger Matt Jones scored the second try before half-time.

The home side responded well to unusually poor handling to take a few scrums against the head bearing in mind Pwllheli had a huge front-row. Open-side flanker John Astbury caught an excellently executed 22m drop-out by Pwllheli to charge back to the 22 only to be tackled but offloaded brilliantly to prop Glyn Griffiths to score. Pwllheli never gave up and scored a well deserved try after The Bay started to lose their focus. Matt Jones scored his second and his teams final try on the hour after he evaded several would-be tacklers and side-stepped his way around the opponents half to score near the posts, which prompted a quote from his proud grand-father "he likes to go the scenic route".

This was an encouraging workmanlike performance from every member of the squad.

A special thank you to Mandy and Trilby for selling raffle tickets to raise money for the youth tour.

3rd October '09

Wrexham Youth 14 Colwyn Bay Youth 5

A strong Wrexham defence was the difference between these two sides, The Bay battled hard and had the majority and possession but were unable to penetrate the well marshalled home defence until the last quarter of the game. The Bay squandered a couple of opportunities to put points on the board but unfortunately fly-half Ollie Collinge narrowly missed, but he more than made up for his indifferent place kicking by accurately finding numerous long touch finding clearances.

Wrexham's first try came mid-way through the first-half after the ball popped out unexpectedly from a ruck and the Wrexham flanker picked the ball up to cross the line. The Bay continued to launch a series of attacks but were increasingly frustrated by refereeing decisions around the contact area and also the scrum. The Bay won virtually all their own line-out ball with Jamie Williams prominent at the front of the line. A revelation in The Bay's armoury was the excellent organisation at the rolling maul which gained valuable metres and caused problems for the home side's defence. From a loose passage of play on the Wrexham 10m line the home side struck again doubling their advantage when their inside-centre sprinted to score under the posts.

The visitors heads never went down throughout this match and they showed tremendous stamina, courage, work rate and passion which was rewarded with John Astbury's try.

Scrum-half Gaz Williams was named man of the match for his tenacious work at the back of the scrum, firstly by hounding his opposite number and then closing down their No.8.

26th Sept '09

COBRA Youth 18 Colwyn Bay Youth 5

This friendly match hung in the balance until the last 10mins of the game when the home side were awarded a dubious penalty which was successfully converted stretching COBRA's lead by two scores. The Bay fielded a predominately U17 side with three older squad members included in the XV. The home side could only raise 14 players so Anthony Edwards sportingly played the entire game on the opposition left wing. COBRA put The Bay under pressure during the first 10 minutes with the visitors struggling to adapt to the short, narrow pitch, which suited the host's forward orientated style of play. First points were scored from the boot of the home side's scrum-half but mid-way through the half debutant inside-centre Joe Chaplin found a gap in the defence to take the lead for the visitors. COBRA regained the lead just before half-time after a period camped in The Bay 22.

The match was finely balanced entering the second half and the visitors enjoyed long periods of possession and territory they battled well at the breakdown winning the majority of the 50-50 balls but were unable to be clinical enough to add any scores. The home side secured the win with a penalty and a try towards the end of the game with The Bay still competing right up to the final whistle.

This was an encouraging performance by the younger members of the squad who tackled and fought bravely against an older side, John Astbury was named man of the match for his outstanding work rate. Players, management and numerous loyal supporters were treated to excellent hospitality by COBRA and look forward to their next visit to mid-Wales.

19th Sept '09

COLWYN BAY YOUTH 7 RHYL YOUTH 31

The Bay welcomed Rhyl youth to Brookfield Drive for this league match and were predictably faced by an experienced, physical side. The final score line does not justify the courage, commitment and endeavour that the home side contributed to the match especially after conceding 24 points in the first half then levelling the second period by two converted tries apiece.

Rhyl scored within the five minutes of the kick-off and maintained territorial advantage, The Bay defended well in this period but a couple of lucky breaks and poor decision making, the visitors scored another three tries in the first half.

The Bay dug deep after Rhyl scored an early try in the second half and they raised the intensity and took the game to their opponents. The forwards showed good driving play by penetrating the Rhyl defence and linking well with the backs, the visitors sensed this pressure and tried to slow the game down and were justifiably penalised for various offences at the breakdown. Substitute fly-half Spencer Lumby capitalised by kicking the ball over into touch deep inside the opposition half and again from repeated infringements Bay's flanker Mauricio Portilla powered his way across the try line from 5 metres, this was successfully converted by Spencer Lumby. The Bay finished the match the stronger side and Rhyl were very disappointed after allowing the home side a consolation score.

12th Sept '09

Llandudno Youth 3 Colwyn Bay Youth 29

The steady development of the Colwyn Bay Youth side continued with an excellent win at Llandudno scoring five tries with the home side only managing a solitary penalty.

The early exchanges were fought in between the two 10m lines where The Bay defended well and both sides made frequent mistakes. The game settled down mid-way through the first half with The Bay dominating the line-out and pushing the Llandudno pack backwards in the scrum. The opening try came from good pressure deep in the home side's 22 and Ollie Collinge pierced a gap to cross the line. The Bay grew in confidence and continued to exert more pressure on the opponents' try-line but unfortunately lack of composure and decision making they did not extend their lead in the critical period before half-time.

Llandudno enjoyed their best period of the match after the break where their forwards piled on the pressure and they were rewarded with a successful penalty kick for an off-side offence. The Bay absorbed this period of pressure well and started to take the game to the opposition, no 8 Stuart Selley powerfully broke a couple of tackles outside the home 22 to score the first points of the second half. The Bay gained momentum and were now consistently testing the home defence, good ball from a scrum and quick, clean ball from first phase resulted in winger Josh Ward crossing in the corner. Substitute scrum-half Gareth Miller scythed his way through would-be tacklers to score under the posts.

The Bay ended the match camped on their opponents try-line and harsh lessons learnt from the end of the first half ,Callum Lynch scored the final try. Jamie Williams was named man of the match for his superior line-out work and his work in open play.

5th Sept '09

Colwyn Bay kicked off their national youth league campaign with an emphatic win over Llangollen 53 points to 5.

Winger Matt Jones opened the account when he scored the first of his hatrick of tries after just a few minutes of play, man of the match fullback Jacob Ryan crossed over for two tries while Callum Lynch, Ieuan Jones, Jamie Williams and scrum half Gaz Williams also got on the score sheet, sharing the kicking duties Ollie Collinge kicked three conversions and Spencer Lumby slotted one over.

This was a good display of rugby by the Bay lads with good forwards play providing decent ball for the backs to show their flair. Llangollen defended well and held up a few try scoring opportunities and got a consolation try in the second half.