Under 16

April 24th 2008

ERYRI CUP SEMI-FINAL Kick-off 7.30p.m.

COLWYN BAY U16's 17 PWLLHELI U16's 26

In a repeat of last years Eryri Cup final Colwyn Bay welcomed cup holders and favourites Pwllheli to Brookfield Drive but this time at the semi final stage. This was the third time that these two had played each other this season and The Bay knew exactly what to expect from their opponents. This was realised after 5 minutes when Pwllheli's outside centre burst through weak tackles to score the opening try, which he also converted. The Bay were put under a lot of pressure in the contact area and the loose by the larger, heavier set of Pwllheli forwards but they did win the majority of the ball and then were willing to recycle quickly to release their talented back division who had realised that the visitors had weaknesses beyond the outside centre. After 15 minutes Colwyn Bay had levelled the scores when the Pwllheli outside centre missed an important tackle on his opposite number which created an overlap for right winger Andy Wilson to link with his backs to cross the try-line, the conversion was kicked by Charlie Fowler.

The Bay started to believe in themselves and with refereeing decisions going in their favour at the breakdown Charlie Fowler slotted over a penalty after a handling offence by the visitors. Up to half time this was The Bay's best period of the match, they kept pressurising and were forcing the Pwllheli backs into kicking the ball into touch. A huge up and under by full-back Kieron Green forced an error from the opposition right-winger when the ball was spilled and The Bay's left-winger Adam Lowndes gained possession and he powerfully crossed the line to score. Charlie Fowler successfully converted to extend the lead to 10 points. The Bay's left-winger could have put his side further in front when he broke down the wing only to be tackled agonisingly metres from the line.

The cup holders came out after half-time realising that they had a game on their hands if they wanted to reach this season's final, their forwards exerted more pressure on The Bay and on their own put-in at the scrum the No.8 consistently picked-up at the base to cross the gain-line. It was hard work by the forwards that the visitors halved The Bay's advantage by continually punching holes in the home defence and draw them into the breakdown area before the Pwllheli exploited the space out wide. From the restart they continued to press and take control of the match and patience was rewarded when the visitors prop touched down and was eventually awarded a try after the referee had taken a long time to confirm the score to regain the lead.

The Bay regained momentum and were spurred on by a large crowd and Charlie Fowler was unlucky in landing his penalty kick which would have regained the lead for them. Pwllheli secured the win in the last 10 minutes when their inside centre slipped a forward pass to his outside centre to score under the posts, the successful conversion meant that The Bay had to score twice to win.

Over the past two seasons Pwllheli have proved to be a bogey team for The Bay but this semi-final match was undoubtly the best performance that they have done against this physical side and being labelled underdogs before the match the Pwllheli coach must have had serious reservations at half-time about their chances of progressing into the final.

The management and coaches would like thank all squad members who turned out for this clash and their discipline and controlled aggression was severely pushed to its limits.

SUNDAY 16th MARCH

U16's ERYRI CUP

BANGOR 5 COLWYN BAY 8

A last minute Tom Geeson penalty secured an outright win for The Bay in this tense Eryri Cup match away against Bangor. Up until the home side's prop was penalised and subsequently sin-binned for stamping it was a nail biting encounter with both teams level on a try apiece and the Eryri Cup rules state that if at the final whistle both sides are tied, then the away team are awarded the result.

Cold, windy ,heavy conditions did not favour The Bay's style of open rugby, therefore both sets of forwards took over the responsibility to dictate the game. From the kick-off Bangor dominated the territory and Colwyn Bay's defence was put to the test by the heavier home pack. The Bay absorbed a huge amount of pressure in the first 10 minutes with some solid, committed tackling with Bangor methodically going through the phases, this perseverance was finally rewarded when the scrum-half reached over the try-line for the first score. The Bay regrouped and steadily started to play more rugby in the opponents' half with some strong, direct running by the forwards, when they tried to spread the ball they were thwarted by poor passing or choosing the wrong options.

Colwyn Bay had the wind behind them in the second half and were more willing to put width on the ball by using their redundant wingers, this tactic caused problems in the home side's defence with both wingers able to take advantage of the wide Bangor pitch. Left winger Adam Lowndes seized an opportunity when he received the ball on the home side's 10m line and he used his pace to beat the trailing defenders to score an excellent solo try to swing the tie slightly in the visitors favour. Right winger Andy Wilson nearly put his side in the lead but was tackled short of the try-line after sprinting 50m.

The game entered the final quarter and both teams struggled to build momentum and continuity partly due to weather and the frequent stoppages by the referee for various offences. The Bay continued to absorb the Bangor pressure, who were seeking to put any points on the board to secure a win, but this was not to be when The Bay heroically turned over the ball in their own 22 and broke into the opponents half where ill discipline was successfully punished by Captain Tom Geeson making sure that The Bay go through into the next round.

Sunday 2nd March

LLANGEFNI U16's 0 COLWYN BAY U16's 50

Colwyn Bay returned to winning ways with a creditable display away against Llangefni. The Bay asserted their dominance from the first whistle with centre Arran Williamson asking questions of The Cefni defence with his strong, direct running and was unlucky not to put the first points on the board when he crossed the try line only to find that the referee had judged that the final pass went forward. The Bay continued to pile on the pressure and the inevitable first try was scored by flanker Gavin Eastwood who charged down Cefni's attempted clearance kick to touchdown in typically good back row forward play. Both sets of forwards struggled in the first period to retain possession due to the heavy condition of the pitch. The Bay pack quickly learnt to tighten themselves after a disastrous first scrum against a bulkier Cefni pack. Pete Kirby was a towering presence at the line out consistently winning good clean ball. Winger Adam Loundes scored the visitors second try after The Bay's willingness to start to spread the ball wide.

Llangefni started the second half believing that they were still in the game, but this was quickly abolished when full back Kieron Green picked up the loose ball on their 10m line to scythe his way through the defence to score. He again showed his strength, pace and ability to beat the defence to set up Greg Gostage' s first try when the full back was tackled 5m short of the line and he popped the ball up to the supporting centre. John Astbury made a huge impact playing his first game at No.8,his powerful, straight running was instrumental in Greg Gostage' s second try. Arran Williamson deservedly got on the score sheet to cross for The Bay's sixth try after comfortably beating the demoralised home defence.

Captain Tom Geeson made a welcome return to action after being sidelined for two months with injury, after having a quiet first 50 minutes he burst into life scoring a brace of tries,the first of which he picked up from the ruck inside The Cefni 22 to charge over the line and the second try came after John Astbury won clean ball at the line out but was tackled a couple of metres short of the try line, the ball was quickly recycled and the supporting captain picked up and drove over the line.

This was an excellent victory which was played in front of the current Wales scrum-half Mike Phillips who had answered numerous questions before the match to a packed Llangefni clubhouse and also he did some coaching and shared his knowledge of his No.9 position to all the scrum-halves of the teams participating at Llangefni. The best of all the questions that was directed towards Mike Phillips was by our very own John Astbury who asked "Who would you choose Charlotte Church or Kylie Minogue?"

Sunday 10th February 2008

Pwllheli U16's 29 Colwyn Bay U16's 0

Having not played for a month due to the weather the score line does not give a true reflection of the game, the high level of commitment shown by The Bay was encouraging to the coaches and the travelling supporters. A shortage of front row players by the visitors meant re-shuffling the pack and uncontested scrums was agreed by both sets of coaches.

The Bay competed strongly in the loose against a bigger set of Pwllheli forwards who frequently resorted to foul play to retain possession but The Bay kept their discipline to concentrate on their own game. The Pwllheli inside centre was the creator of three out of their five tries whose strong running, drew defenders and created space for his team to exploit, the other two tries were dubiously awarded to the forwards when firstly the ball was clearly short of the try line and secondly the ball was dropped over the line. Undeterred by the score line The Bay continued to compete in all aspects of the game, in the first half the home side dominated the line-out but the visitors turned this around in the second period securing good clean ball for the backs to utilize.

Territorially the home side had the edge but possession was evenly split which proved that right up to the final whistle The Bay stuck to their task and continued to go through a few phases. All fifteen players which played came away with a tremendous amount of credit and respect, this match was an exercise in realising how to increase their level of intensity in the game by using their physical presence and keeping their discipline whilst being subjected to repeated provocation and intimidation.

Sunday 6th January 2008

COLWYN BAY U16's 32 RUTHIN U16's 15

Colwyn Bay continued their winning ways into the new year with an excellent home win against a strong Ruthin side but they had to work hard in attack and defence to secure this win, which included a welcome return from injury to the home side of Greg Gostage and John Astbury.

After a tentative start producing a penalty a piece The Bay's forwards started to assert their dominance at the breakdown by consistently turning over Ruthin ball and releasing the backs to spread the play. Greg Gostage relished his new role at inside centre to produce an excellent move to set-up a 5m scrum which resulted in Bay ball and he was on hand to cross over to score a try which he created.

The Bay continued the momentum into the second half and scrum half Charlie Fowler's clever cross field kick posed problems for the Ruthin defence and the attempted clearance kick was charged down beyond the try line by centre John Astbury to touchdown. Ruthin's disorganised defence saw the home side grow in confidence and were keen to move the ball at every opportunity, flanker Lewis Stephens won the ball inside his own 22 and passed to left winger Adam Lowndes who beat two defenders to sprint and score under the posts. The left winger was instrumental in the next try after he stole the ball on the half way line but was ankle tapped inside the opponents 22 with the try line at his mercy, the ball was re-cycled quickly and the ball was passed down the line for right winger Andy Wilson to score in the corner.In the last quarter of the match Ruthin started to get back in the game by scoring a couple of tries, these were fuelled by adrenalin because they claimed that they were on the receiving end of some dubious refereeing decisions. The Bay kept their composure and sealed the victory with a try by prop Jason Hughes who supported John Astbury after he stole the ball from the Ruthin full-back with the opponents and their coaching staff claiming that the centre had gained the ball illegally.This was an excellent win by the home side who had a number of players unavailable and others playing out of position.

SUNDAY 2nd DECEMBER

COLWYN BAY U16's 31 WREXHAM U16's 3

The opening exchanges were evenly fought between the two sides who were trying to come to terms with the wet and muddy playing conditions, numerous handling errors were inevitable and both sides tried to produce good rugby. The Bay were guilty of several infringements which gave Wrexham territory even though they were playing against the wind, this was punished by a successful penalty kick to put the first points on the board. This was the wake-up call that The Bay needed and they immediately forced a mistake from the kick-off deep inside the visitors 22 where the Wrexham fly-half could not gather the pass from his scrum-half and fumbled the ball inside his own in-goal area and centre Charlie Fowler's quick presence of mind grounded the ball to score. The Bay's ability to vary their tactics was evident in their second try when fly-half Ollie Collinge kicked the ball deep into the opponents 22 forcing the winger to struggle to recycle under pressure and right winger Andy Wilson was first to react to pick up the ball which spilled from the side of the ruck to race under the posts. The strong Wrexham pack worked hard in the first half to gain territory but their backs struggled to continue the good work because of the determined defence by the home side. Colwyn Bay continued to pressurise inside the Wrexham half and centre Aaran Williamson's excellent angled run cut the defence to score under the posts, this made the half time score 21-3.

The Bay enjoyed long periods of possession in the second half and also dominated territory restricting Wrexham to only two visits into their half even though the wind was against them. The home side were always willing to expand the game after some tremendous hard work by the forwards left winger Adam Loundes scored in the corner after a scrum wide on the right 5m line. Number 8 Mitch van Wyk was prominent in the line-out and he secured clean ball to set up his side's final try where he off-loaded to Captain Tom Geeson who beat the first tackler to cross the gain line to pass to the supporting Ollie Collinge to score under the posts.

This was most probably the most satisfying win of the season so far, The Bay produced good rugby despite poor playing conditions, all players put in a huge effort and showed their determination to avenge the recent defeat at Wrexham. For the second week in succession the visiting side arrived with 14 players and The Bay obligingly made up the numbers. Utility player Phil Roberts played the whole match for Wrexham and during the match the visitors also suffered a couple of injuries and sportingly Alex Kay and Lee McKenzie stepped into the opposition side. The management and coaches praise the tremendous character and sportsmanship shown by these three players who also gave a good performance against their team mates. It also shows that Clwb Rygbi Bae Colwyn can be regarded as a club that endorses a high level of sportsmanship and fair-play bearing in mind that when Colwyn Bay U16's played at Wrexham they had to play the whole of the second half with fourteen players against Wrexham's fifteen plus substitutes!!!!!!

SUNDAY 25th NOVEMBER 2007

COLWYN BAY U16's 73 BALA U16's 0

Colwyn Bay welcomed Bala to Brookfield Drive who were on the receiving end of an 11 try to nil drubbing by the home side. Fly-half Ollie Collinge opened the scoring in the first minute which gave a good indication of how the game would comprehensively favour the hosts. The Bay's forwards punished their lighter opponents to lay the foundation for the backs to spread the ball wide, from where several tries were scored. Ollie Collinge scored a hat-trick of tries in the first half by running excellent angles to pierce the Bala defence and he was instrumental in creating several other tries through his passing and tactical kicking.

Full-back Kieran Green also scored a hat-trick of tries who showed good awareness and pace to join the attack at every opportunity. Evan Griffith marked his return from injury with a convincing performance producing powerful, determined straight runs, skilful side-steps and was rewarded by touching down under the posts for his first try of the season. Captain Tom Geeson not only scored a try himself but was involved in setting up the majority of his side's tries in which he consistently crossed the gain line,drew the opposition to create space for his team-mates to exploit. Jordan Evans, Adam Loundes and Andy Wilson also scored well deserved tries.

Credit must be given to Bala who gave a spirited second half performance and were able to restore some pride in themselves, albeit playing against an older side. A special mention must go to Colwyn Bay player Lee Mackenzie who played for his side in the first half and sportingly played for the opposition in the second half. Charlie Fowler ended the match as top scorer with nine successful conversions.

Try scores-Kieran Green 3,Ollie Collinge 3,Adam Loundes, Andy Wilson, Evan Griffith, Jordan Evans, Tom Geeson.

Cons-Charlie Fowler 9.

Sunday 4th November 2007

WREXHAM U16's 12 COLWYN BAY U16's 7

The under 16's travelled to Wrexham and gave a good spirited performance despite being short on squad members due to holidays and injuries. The home side would most probably feel rather disappointed with the result and their performance having won comprehensively most of the territory and playing the second half with a player advantage. The opening exchanges were evenly split until the referee introduced his unique style of controlling the game, this resulted in The Bay being continuously penalised and pushed back towards their own line. Wrexham put the first points on the board after 10 minutes when their fly-half capitalised on quick ball set up by the forwards to slice through the defence. The home side dominated in the contact area with The Bay guilty of poor ball retention and Wrexham gaining easy turn over ball forcing the visitors to defend for long periods.

With the loss of prop Evan Griffith due to injury at half time The Bay played the remainder of the match with 14 players and uncontested scrums, with this disadvantage the visitors raised their game although playing the majority of the match in their own half they heroically defended their try line, thwarting numerous Wrexham attacks with courageous, last ditch tackles. The home side did increase their lead mid way through the 2nd half with a well worked line-out move which saw the Wrexham hooker peel away around the back of the line to receive the ball at pace to touchdown under the posts. The Bay never gave up and from a scrum on their own line scrum-half Alex Kay's clever box kick did not find touch but bounced favourably into the hands of the winger Adam Loundes who sprinted across the half way line but was unluckily tapped on the ankle with no defenders to beat in front of him. This raised The Bay's confidence and belief which was rewarded with the last play of the game when Ollie Collinge broke through the defence passed to Jason Hughes who offloaded to the rampaging Tom Geeson who cruised over the line to score a well deserved try which was converted by Ollie Collinge.

This match showed the importance of travelling with a strong squad and the players who turned up showed tremendous spirit, guts, commitment and should be proud of themselves when they had their backs against the wall.

SUNDAY 14th OCTOBER 2007