Burry Port Even it up in the Cup

By Gwilym Lewis

In challenging conditions Burry Port won the 2nd leg of the Origin Cup to set up a summer decider.

The 2nd leg of the Origin Cup Series was played in very different conditions to the 1st with sun, rain and hail all making an appearance, but the quality of rugby was still pretty high and a high scoring competitive game ensued.

Burry Port were able to field a strong side with a few families having two generations on the field. Grizzled veterans like Nigel Powell and Paul Silva both showed they could contribute and rubbed shoulders with Dafydd Morgan and the impressive Kuba Malecki who showed the Blacks have more good youngsters coming through.

Early winter sunshine saw the ball moved freely and the early beneficiary was home wing Simon Day who showed a clean(ish) pair of heels to the defence to grab two early scores. This put Burry Port firmly in the driving seat and the Warriors chasing the game.

47 photos

Match photos

Tom Ashour slipped through a poor tackle to get the Warriors off the mark but with Reynolds and Pulman scoring for Burry Port it was small comfort. A try just before the break for Jordan Jones and accurate kicking from Simon Jenkins kept the Warriors in touch 20-14 at the interval.

The second half saw the game slow down as rain and hail added to the already heavy ground. The Warriors huffed and heaved their way about with strong carries from Haines, Jenkins and Mark Lewis but with some poor rucking failed to capitalise on this. Nathan Lawson did burrow through for a try but Reynolds grabbed a second for the Blacks and veteran Geraint Davies strode in to keep the home side comfortably ahead.

With their centers playing well the Warriors did manage a flowing move, foiled only by a deliberate knock on from which the referee immediately awarded a penalty try. The Warriors went all out for attack which brought Jones a second score but left them vulnerable behind. Poor conditions hampered Burry Port's attempts at running rugby but long kicks and hard chase were effective with the Warriors fully committed to attack. Pulman got a final home side's 8th score to guarantee the win as Burry Port saw out the year in style.

The 3rd leg of the series will be at the end of the season and with the sides level at 1-1 it's sure to be a highly anticipated finale.

Llanelli Warriors: Gareth Ladd, Yanis Whiteley, Nick Davies (Jonathan Kearney), Adam Fussell, Thomas Ashour (Simon Day), Mark Lewis (Dai Haines), Richard Evans (Cpt.) (Gary James), James Duke, John Horwood (Darren Pollitt), Andrew Davies, Nathan Lawson (Jordan Jones), Simon Jenkins, Gwilym Lewis
Burry Port: Leon Evans, Ieuan Reynolds, Josh Evans, Joe Pulman, Dafydd Morgan, Nigel Powell, Nathan Toft, Gareth Gravell, Toby Williams, Darren Pulman, Kuba Malecki, Tom Rees, Paul Silva, Gary James (Richard Evans), Geraint Morgan, Vinnie Davies, Phil Payne, Andrew Richards, Simon Day (Yanis Whiteley)