Fixture

Croesy welcomed Division 1 West leaders Kidwelly to Woodland Road in the 3rd round of the WRU Plate competition. Kidwelly had lost only 1 game so far this season and had been tipped to be strong contenders for the plate competition but they were unable to overcome a Croesy team that thoroughly deserved the eventual 27-16 victory.

The game started in a heavy drizzle making and after a day of rain making both handling and conditions under foot very difficult, with the floodlights on from the start of the match despite it being a 2pm kick off.

Croesy started strongly putting Kidwelly under pressure almost immediately from the kick off, dominating possession and territory and within the first fifteen minutes were 10-0 up. The first points came via a penalty goal from outside half Haydn Simons, continuing his excellent kicking from the tee this season. This was followed shortly afterwards by a penalty try as the Croesy pack drove Kidwelly back at a scrum in front of their own posts as the Kidwelly pack disengaged from the scrum leaving the referee no alternative but to award the try (although Ryan Bates will claim that he touched down in any case and should be awarded the try!). Haydn Simons added the conversion.

Kidwelly seemed to be out of the game as Croesy were so dominant, but after a pep talk by their captain following the penalty try, they responded strongly, gaining an increasing amount of territory and possession. Kidwelly used this well and the Croesy line came under some intense pressure. Despite some staunch defence with some fierce tackling from all the Croesy team, they were unable to effectively clear the lines as Kidwelly ran back any clearance kick that did not find touch, stretching the defensive line. Eventually Kidwelly crossed the line with a try from their tight head prop after a series of drives near the Croesy line. The try was converted closing the gap to 3 points.

At this time it appeared as Kidwelly were gaining the upper hand, but Croesy responded magnificently with all the team contributing in defence and attack, as again they started to regain the dominance of both territory and possession. The scrum in particular was causing Kidwelly all sorts of problems as Croesy regularly drove the Kidwelly pack a number of metres. It was via one such scrum that Croesy extended their lead again as No.8 Steve Thomas, enjoying an armchair ride behind the tight five, picked up from the back of an advancing scrum near the Kidwelly line and forced his way over for his 9th try of the season. Needless to say Haydn Simons added the conversion.

There were no further score in the first half, which ended with Croesy leading by 17 points to 7

The second half began with Kidwelly having made 3 changes in their pack, however Croesy started the stronger and were soon pressurising the Kidwelly line. A series of "pick and go" drives saw Croesy cross the line but the referee being unsighted to the grounding of the ball adjudged that the ball had been held up and awarded Croesy an attacking scrum on the 5 metre line. Unfortunately the Kidwelly pack with its new reinforcements produced a strong scrum and Croesy were penalised. However Croesy soon extended their lead with a 35 metre penalty kick from Haydn Simons as Kidwelly were caught offside in the centre of the field.

Kidwelly again responded well, looking to run the ball through their dangerous looking backline, trying to stretch the Croesy defence which held out very well. Ultimately though as players started to tire, a number of penalties were conceded and Kidwelly started to pull back the deficit. A number of changes were made and the re-inforced Croesy pack again started to dominate the set piece, however three successful penalty attempts saw Kidwelly draw within 4 points of Croesy with just under 10 minutes left.

The remaining time however saw Croesy regain the upper hand and this was eventually rewarded with a fine try by captain David Davies, following interplay between the backs and forwards, again with handling belying the poor conditions. The ball was passed out to the wide left hand side of the pitch and David produced a strong hand off against the last defending Kidwelly player before diving over the line, causing great jubilation amongst Croesy players and fans. Haydn Simons kicked the conversion from wide out capping a perfect display from the kicking tee.

There was time only for a kick off which was knocked on by a Kidwelly player. From the resultant scrum the ball was kicked off the pitch and the referee, who had enjoyed a good display himself in keeping the game flowing, blew the final whistle.

In what was probably one of the best displays by Croesy for a number of years, considering the quality of the opposition, it is difficult to pick a man of the match. The front five excelled in providing a platform to control  key moments in the game, whilst the backrow worked tirelessly in the loose. The backline looked dangerous in attack and were strong in defence. The replacements also had the desired effect when they came on, providing fresh impetus. However no. 8 Steve Thomas just shaded it from other candidates as he put in a display that continually left Kidwelly players trailling in his wake as he carried strongly in addition to being tireless in defence.