Barry are through to the quarter finals of the WRU Youth Plate after a hard-fought 20-13 victory at Beddau.
A stubborn defensive display in the first half proved the basis for a well-deserved win for the young Bombers - but Beddau proved a tougher test than expected.
“We had to defend for the first 20 minutes,” said head coach John Dimond, “but managed to keep them out, and I was pleased we turned round just a couple of points adrift. Our defence was unbelievable. If they had been able to defend like us it would have been a much harder battle.”
Barry, playing down the slope but into the wind in the first half, squandered the few opportunities they created.
“When we got our hands on the ball we kicked away opportunities, gave them the ball back and put ourselves under pressure,” said Dimond.
“The first half was nip and tuck all the way, and we nicked a try to keep us in it, but I felt we had another ten points in us, which would have made the margin of victory bigger.”
But it was different story in the second half.
“Once we started spreading the ball we looked the better side, running through and creating opportunities,” he said. “Unfortunately we didn’t have our kicking boots on and left another seven points on the pitch. But we’ve come away with what we wanted, a win. We’re in the last eight.”
Possible local opponents in the quarter-finals include Cowbridge and St Peters, while Haverfordwest look likely favourites for the competition. Unbeaten in the Pembrokeshire League, they have put more than 50 points on each of their opponents in the first two rounds of the Plate.
Barry scorers: Tries – Caelan Hurley, Tyler Reinholdt, penalty try; Penalty – Hurley.
Barry are organising a friendly against St Albans as a chance for the 16s and 17s players to get some game time before the Christmas break. The match is scheduled for the Reservoir Field on Saturday (1pm kick off).
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