BONYMAEN WIN THE YOUTH LEAGUE
Bonymaen 13 Newport 7: Bonymaen win Youth League
BT’s WRU Relationship Manager Martin Umbleja described it as “one of the very best and closest games in DRT Youth League history and a credit to both teams.”
It completed a great year for the Swansea side who were Champions of Division 1C and beat 1D winners Llangennech 26-19 in the semi-final play offs before seeing off the challenge of 1A Champions Newport.
The hard fought win over the Black and Ambers also completed a remarkable year for the city of Swansea at age group level. Swansea College won both the Welsh Schools Cup and the DRT Schools League title and seven of that squad were in the Bonymaen twenty-two at Llanharan.
Of these, wings Anthony Curtis and Nick Harwood, centre Karl Newman, scrum-half Stuart Allen, prop Greg Cunniffe and lock Michael Thomas played whilst flanker Dean Howells was on the bench.
DRT Schools League runners-up Neath Port Talbot College provided forwards Lloyd Harries, Nicky Boyce and Andy Pritchard plus reserve scrum-half Richard Cunniffe. There was little to choose between Bonymaen and Newport and the result could have gone either way in a frenetic finish.
Ahead 13-7, Bonymaen had to defend against two Black and Amber line outs 5 metres from their own line and a combination of luck and gritty tackling relieved the pressure to seal victory.
The exchanges up front were fiercely contested and expertly controlled by international referee Nigel Owens – a great example of the expertise of the referee bringing out the best in players – and it was the team spirit in the Bony camp that made the slight but vital difference. Bonymaen had reached the final of the Welsh Youth Cup back in 1977 when they were beaten 3-0 by Carmarthen Athletic, but the victory over Newport was the first piece of National silverware to come the way of the East Swansea club.
In a tense opening, when Newport wing Wesley Cunliffe lost the ball in the Bonymaen in goal, defences were on top until the 23rd minute when Bony full-back Andrew Cousins kicked a high and handsome penalty from 40 metres. Newport then had a dominating period ten minutes either side of half-time. Well led by No. 8 Brendan Lampitt, the pack got more consistent ball and with centre Jared Hinnem, a constant danger in midfield, pressure was rewarded with a try by full-back Dan Fox.
Fly-half Morgan West put over a conversion right from the touchline to give the Gwent side a 7-3 interval lead. Bonymaen weathered the storm with the back row of Andy Pritchard, Nicky Boyce and Lloyd Harries along with lock Michael Thomas unstinting in effort, Thomas covering acres of ground as well as having an outstanding day at the line out. But the Newport defence was also tight when Bony took up the initiative half way through the second-half, Lampitt and flanker Kieron Mahoney, lock and skipper Tom Birch, centres Hinnem and Mike Hurley all tackling ferociously.
The turning point came after a lovely bit of footballing skill by flanker Pritchard, who measured a grubber kick with perfection before latching on to the rolling ball to all but score. Bonymaen kept on the Newport line for an age before captain Ian Brooks, a darting dodging fly-half, fed centre Rob Jones on the inside for the vital try which with a Cousins conversion made it 10-7.
Hooker Kyle Passmore was a real live wire in the loose and Brooks put over a snap drop goal to stretch the lead to 13-7 and with Man of the Match Thomas carrying, jumping and tackling like a man inspired, Bonymaen were up to the task of defending their lead to the exciting end.
