Fixture

Dowlais VS Bedlinog 25/09/2021

Score:
Dowlais: 8
Bedlinog: 25

Another unfortunate turn of events for Dowlais this week with a 25-8 loss at home against
Bedlinog.
Despite what the final score would suggest, for the most part, both sides were fairly
equal in terms of their offensive efforts. In fact, Dowlais began the game on the attack,
making their way into the Bedlinog twenty-two in the opening minutes and – while failing to
score a try – managing to leave with a penalty on the board, kicked by Sion Martin.
From there, for the rest of the first half, the game settled into a back and forth
between both sides, each attacking and getting close to getting a try on the board, but
falling short each time.
The first of these exchanges began after Dowlais’ first – and as it would turn out -
only penalty of the half. Bedlinog began their attack on the Dowlais try line against a
formidable but familiarly undisciplined defence, protecting their line but giving away a
penalty which Bedlinog deciding to go for, successfully getting three of their own points on
the board.
It looked after that as though Dowlais’ first venture into the Bedlinog twenty-two
would repeat itself, with a strong offensive effort leading to another penalty. Unfortunately
this kick was a miss, and the score remained tied.
Although both sides remained unrelenting in their efforts to get some fives and
sevens on the board, no tries would come from the first half, instead penalties would
continue to roll in, but not at all as equally as the first few exchanges.
Dowlais’ ill-discipline netted Bedlinog another three penalties, all of which they
kicked, giving the home side quite a gap to overcome going into the second half. Following
simultaneous yellow cards for both teams, followed by another for Dowlais, it appeared as
though Bedlinog might finally have the edge they needed, but still no big scores came from
it.
With any try-scoring efforts from either side thwarted at every turn by discipline or
stalwart defence, the first half ended with only five penalties on the board, a 12-3 lead for
Bedlinog.
As the curtain rose on the second half, it almost appeared as though penalties truly
would be all the score board saw, with Bedlinog earning themselves another early on to
push their lead ever further to 15-3.But finally, an offensive effort broke through, with Dowlais scoring a well-earned try
touched down by Luke Evans. Although the conversion just barely missed its mark, it felt as
though the momentum behind the boys would finally be enough to turn the tides of the
game.
However, in a similar case to their previous defeat, though they came agonizingly
close to more fives and sevens following their long-fought try, Dowlais were unable to break
through again to get ahead of their opponents, and they’d earn no more points for the rest
of the game.
From there, the game returned to its rhythm from the first half, with Bedlinog
kicking one more penalty and painfully just managing to break through with a converted try
in the last play of the game, closing the match with a 25-8 lead and leaving Dowlais with
saddeningly little to show for all of their attacking efforts.
Overall, I have much the same to say on this game as I did with last week’s, an
admirable performance with plenty of good in both attack and defence that ultimately
wasn’t able to go just the little bit further it needed to, haunted once again by disciplinary
problems that gave their opponents a lead too big for them to close.
Hopefully, Dowlais can iron out these problems before next week as they face
Bedlinog once again, this time on their territory.