Barry RFC 33 v Dinas Powys RFC 32

IN A pulsating local derby against Dinas Powys RFC, Barry RFC pulled off a last minute victory which had looked out of their grasp for much of the second half.

The win was a credit yet again to the sides ability to fight to the end and the undoubted team spirit that prevails around this year's squad.

Kicking off with the wind in their favour although up the slope Barry pressurised the visitors into early errors which gave Barross the chance of two penalties, both of these were successful for a six point lead.

At the same time Dinas showed their intentions of playing an open game and early warning signs were there that their counter attacking would need to be carefully managed by the Barry defence.

Two such examples led to the visitors taking the lead when firstly a breakout from their own half earned them a penalty, quickly followed by a try after the ball had gone loose allowing a 70 yard run in to give Dinas the lead at 10-6.

Poor handling and solid tackling prevented the visitors from extending the lead and it was Barry who scored next after driving the ball upfield led to another penalty from Barross which saw the deficit reduced to a point.

With 25 minutes gone and Barry struggling for meaningful possession things were not looking good and inspiration was needed from somewhere. It came in the space of four minutes during which time Barry conjured two tries.

The first came straight from the training ground as they spurned the chance to clear their lines from a penalty and hoisted a huge up and under for the speedy Knapman to chase. With the visitors defence out of position the winger flew past his opposite number and with a gazelle like leap gathered the ball to speed over line for a fine opportunist try.

The second game after a solid Barry scrum saw Lee with a snipe from the base which flat-footed the defence to create space for Scott to cross. Barross was successful with both kicks and Barry had suddenly opened up 13 point lead which had not looked on the cards at this stage.

There were still some tense moments for the Barry defence in the remaining minutes as Dinas fought their way back but for poor hands might easily have scored.

Now facing the strong breeze and the gathering storm clouds, Barry were also faced with the problem of a Dinas side intent of using their speedy backs as they ran everything in attempt to get back into the game. They were met with early success as following a series of moves, the home defence was breached and the lead was reduced to six points.

At this point Barry, with limited usable possession, were finding life difficult to break out from defence but a loose ball saw them take play downfield and steal a Dinas ball which with quick handling saw space for Provis to cross for a try again converted by Barross.

With the lead back to 13 points you might have thought the game was won, but Dinas had other ideas and as Barry had in the first half so the visitors did in the second by scoring two quick tries as Barry struggled to contain them. Luckily only one was converted which left Barry with a single point lead with still 15 minutes remaining.

The problems Barry were encountering in clearing their lines against the wind were now compounded by a heavy downpour which made conditions difficult and enabled the visitors to camp in the home 22.

Barry defended heroically to keep the line intact and succeeded for a while before conceding a penalty close to the line, which wasn't wasted and gave Dinas the lead for the first time.

In hindsight it was a good omen as it gave Barry the chance to get back in the visitors half for the first time in what seemed ages.

You always know that the team will fight to the end and somehow they managed to get the ball from the restart and exert pressure on the visitors defence and they were rewarded with a penalty which Barross coolly put over to give Barry a one point advantage in the dying seconds.

One last effort from the visitors came to nothing and the final whistle went to end the game which was a credit to both sides played in a good spirit.

Barry will be playing Clwb Rygbi on Wednesday and the final first XV game of the season sees Barry entertain promoted Dowlais this weekend at 2.30pm

Last week's lottery numbers were 6, 8, 13 and 22 and there were no winners.