THE HERALD FRIDAY JANUARY 20 2017 Sport Herald MARINERS PLAY TOP TRUMP Nantyffyllon Milford Haven
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WRU National Bowl Round 5 MILFORD HAVEN made it
through to the last eight of the WRU National Bowl after they beat Nantyffyllon 17-12 last Saturday (Jan 14). The win is a fantastic
achievement for the Mariners and they will now look forward to seeing who they will be set against in the quarter-final stage. Nantyffyllon play in Division
3 West Central and pushed the Mariners all the way, but it was the visitors who eventually came out on top.
The Mariners were virtually at
full strength for this cup tie with a side who are currently sitting comfortably in Division 3 (West
Central). With the weather and heavy
underfoot conditions, this encounter was a pure battle of strength between two equal packs. The Mariners front row of
skipper Jamie Parr, Luke Ryan and Adam Rees never gave up and worked tirelessly in both the tight and loose. Milford nearly gained an early
advantage when pacey winger Jamie Lewis latched onto a pass, but unfortunately lost control over the line. Both sides tried to gain the upper hand through driving lineouts and mauls, but the only points of the first half came from the boot. Nantyffyllon number 10 Tighe
McGuffin slotted three penalties and Milford number 15 Craig Barnett slotted one penalty to leave the scores at 9-3 at the half time whistle.
Milford then lost the experience
and powerful running of their talisman, number eight Mark Wonnacott, due to a leg injury. The Mariners never gave up
the cause and continued to battle through the conditions and their defence held firm through relentless tackling from the entire squad. Both teams then exchanged
further penalties and the scores were levelled at 12 apiece. Neither side was able to break
the other’s defence as both held strong and neither breached, with the Mariners’ winger Jimmy Thomas and hooker Ryan putting in try-saving tackles. With eight minutes left on the
referee’s watch, this was sure to be a nail biting finish for both the home supporters and the extremely large and loyal gathering of the travelling Mariners supporters.
Milford were awarded a scrum
virtually on the half way line and Milford’s Sam Dolling picked the ball up from the base of the scrum and drove it up the field. The ball was passed through the hands, eventually ending up in the safe hands of Milford’s trump card Dan Jenkins, who slid over the line to score the winning try and secure a win and a place in the last eight of the Swalec Bowl. The Mariners’ team and
travelling supporters were delighted to hear the final whistle and the smile of head coach Steve Barnett could have probably been seen back at the Obs. Barnett has a wealth of
experience and youth within the side and is using his knowledge to build a formidable team that is showing that they can match any team, both in attack and defence.
Mariners’ top trump: Dan Jenkins
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