Pesda see off Cofis at fortress Dol Ddafydd
BETHESDA maintained their 100 per cent home record in Division One North with a hardfought 10-5 victory over Caernarfon.
Pesda made it six wins out of six at Dol Ddafydd and gained revenge for a 29-13 loss at Y Morfa last October.
On a day when the elements were in complete command, both teams could be complimented on trying to entertain the crowd by playing an attacking brand of rugby throughout.
It soon became apparent that in such conditions any form of points on the board would be decisive, and for much of the opening half it was Caernarfon who looked more likely to break the deadlock.
The Cofis had an effective driving maul and were on the front foot thanks to some penetrative kicking by fly-half Aled Jones. However, his attempts from the tee fell short and when a classic two-on-one was squandered out wide Bethesda gained in confidence and began counterattacking with purpose.
No 8 Rhys Williams was strong in his charges for the hosts and the rest of the pack became inspired by his example to make a more even contest of it up front.
However, the impressive tackling of second row Ilan Davies and flanker Mac Jones meant possible incursions into Cofi territory with ball in hand were restricted, so it was no surprise half-time arrived with the deadlock still not broken.
Bethesda scrum-half Mathew Parry was his usual busy self, but it was team-mate Arwyn Griffith who pulled off a fine covering tackle to thwart a possible Cofi five-pointer.
From this point onwards the momentum changed with Pesda gaining territory down the tramline, and after three successful lineouts they found themselves in the danger zone.
Two scrums later Rhys Williams picked up from the base and, although no apparent danger appeared at the outset, he wriggled free from the tackle and then charged the remaining five yards to score, with Daniel Pritchard adding the conversion.
The lead was short-lived as the common problem of not being able to field the kick-off allowed the Cofis back into contention. From quick recycled ball out wide, winger Dylan Gwyn came in to add his presence to the centre line, and his blistering pace saw him outstrip the home defence to score a fine individual try.
The conversion was missed but the visitors soon found themselves 10-5 down when an offside call meant Pritchard was allowed to slot another three-pointer.
From this point onwards more individual errors became apparent, linked with the ever deteriorating conditions and the urgent need on behalf of the Cofis to gain parity on the scoreboard as the minutes were ticking away.
Bethesda remained cool under pressure and good teamwork saw them gain ground and force Caernarfon to attack from deep during the final few minutes – a task on this occasion beyond their capabilities.