IN A GAME dictated by atrocious conditions, Barry managed to secure their fifth win out of six against a dogged and determined Clwb Rygbi side at home last Saturday.

With the wind howling and frequent heavy showers, it was bound to be a game of two halves and so it proved to be.

Losing the toss, Barry played into the elements in the first half and from the kick-off Clwb posed early threats inside Barry territory. The home defence held firm, but with kicking not a viable option Barry had no choice but to bring the ball out of defence, the greasy ball even making this difficult.

Barry warmed to their task and began to challenge the Clwb defence, but were unable to get the breakthrough they needed.

With both sides making understandable handling errors, clear chances were few and far between. With the conditions in their favour however, it was Clwb who looked the more likely to score. After several attempts from close range were thwarted by some excellent Barry defending, they appeared to cross for a try but the final pass was knocked on.

They were not to be denied however as a quickly taken penalty from the 22 caught Barry sleeping, and the scrum half was able to cross unopposed under the posts. A simple conversion gave Clwb a 7-0 lead.

As conditions worsened and half-time neared, Barry would have been content with their performance in restricting the deficit to only seven points in the opening period, with a more fruitful second half likely to come.

The second half began as expected, with Barry putting themselves into Clwb territory and creating chances to level the game, but vital knock ons and penalties were hampering their efforts.

They got very close on more than one occasion, only to lose the ball as they crossed the line. The pressure was mounting on a hard working Clwb defence, but as the home side continued to be penalised for their errors it seemed as though Barry were not going to score.

But the breakthrough finally came as the forwards drove close to the line, with the ball finding White who just squeezed in to cross.

And a superb conversion from Barross out by the touchline followed to put Barry level.

The same player then produced a massive 70m clearance from near his own line as Clwb attacked from the restart, but found themselves 5m short of their own line.

Conditions were becoming worse as the rain lashed down and ball control became even more difficult. Despite brave attempts to launch attacks of their own, Clwb were by and large having to defend as Barry looked for another score.

For a while it certainly didn't look as they could as chances came and went and the clock ran down, but again the stalemate was finally broken as the forwards drove to the line, finding Evans who crashed through the last line of defence to cross out wide. Once again the magical boot of Barross sent the ball soaring through the posts, with a kick equally as good as his first attempt.

Barry set about closing the game down for the remaining minutes of what had been a keenly contested entertaining game of rugby, which was a credit to to both sides.

On the balance of play Barry deserved the spoils to maintain the pressure on the sides above them in the league. The club would also like to thank the hardy spectators who braved the conditions and stayed the course.

There are no league games next week, with the second XV scheduled to play a cup game at home in the Ron Lucock Cup. This game is yet to be confirmed. To contact the club, call 01446 734806.

This week's lottery prize will be £7,000, as last week's numbers of 04, 13, 14 and 17 were not matched.