Bombers beat Welfare to boost survival hopes

Barry boosted their Admiral League survival hopes with a 22-19 win at Cambrian Welfare in Division One East Central.

This was a vital victory which has lifted some of the relegation pressure on the Bombers.

Two scores - with the clock deep in the red - saw them extend the gap over their fellow strugglers to ten points with the hosts seeing what looked like being a much-needed win snatched away at the death.

Cambrian started strongly with Barry making their customary sluggish start. The hosts took a 14-0 lead as the Bombers struggled to cope with their pressure.

Barry hit back with a try, but the hosts exploited defensive problems to lead 19-5 at the break, with two of their scores coming from missed tackles. Ominously familiar.

But, like the previous week in their defeat to Abercwmboi, Barry were totally dominant in the second half, their particularly powerful scrum driving the opposition all over the park, but this time a much-improved defensive display largely muted any threats.

“We are finding it difficult to start a game, opponents are not,” said head coach Mike Morgan. “We gave the opposition too much of a head start in the first half. Not as bad as the previous week, but we cannot continue to start like this."

“I think the dominance we showed up front was enough for me to say at half-time ‘sort it out, stick to the game plan, and we can win’."

"The second half we did, perhaps not 100 per cent, but we found ourselves in their half for much of the half. If we can find our groove, that’s when you see the best of this team, scoring tries and winning comfortably."

Barry scored two quality tries - with Victor Corrihons rounding off a good support running move from the Bombers’ 22 in the 28th minute, and Jack Long getting the vital third some four minutes into stoppage time.

A penalty try in the 72nd minute was a just, if delayed, reward for almost constant forward pressure. And Owen Rees, who converted Barry’s final try, somehow shrugged off enormous pressure eight minutes into added time to land the penalty that won the match. 

Delight and relief for Barry at The Tump, winning with the last kick of the game. Cambrian left slumped in despair at the final whistle after a match which tested the nerves of both sets of supporters.

Morgan singled out Josh Edwards as his man of the match. “One of the finest performances I’ve seen from a 7. When the chips were down he kept playing, doing everything I asked him to do.”

On Saturday, second-in-the-table Llanishen are the visitors to the Reservoir Field. “If we can get into our groove in the first half, we’re not chasing,” said Morgan. “The players can enjoy the win, but have to learn from this game. We’ve got make sure we start from minute one.” 

Cambrian Welfare scorers:
Tries - Jackson Huntley (18'), Matthew Llewellyn (24'), Taine Hendy (34')
Conversions - Jonah Huntley 2