Fixture

The travelling AmmoKnights horde could have been mistaken for thinking they were still basking in the September sunshine as they completed mile 296 of their recent away day travels. Treorchy the final stop and as the sun poured over the Bwlch Mountain the temperature soon started to soar both on and off the pitch. As both teams found their way into the game it was Treorchy who struck first with the forwards making the most of some neat play around the fringes of the breakdown. After being awarded a penalty five yards out, the Llantwit defence failed to reset in time and Treorchy powered over to make it 5-0. The AmmoKnights didn’t take long to respond and after a solid scrum the ball was whipped wide to Sam Croucher whose mazy run bamboozled the defence. Just as it looked like the cover defence had stopped the attack Croucher flicked a sublime pass to Leighton Pawsey who kept his balance well to score. Having found a magic recipe it wasn’t long before the AmmoKnights backs conjured it up again. Slight hands set Croucher away again, and this time he had the legs to cross the line and give the visitors the lead. A successful kick and all of a sudden Llantwit had run in 12 points in 5 minutes. The hosts went back to basics and utilised their forward power to rumble the ball forward up towards the Llantwit line. Treorchy’s strength eventually told and they reduced the gap to 2 points. As the half time whistle neared it looked as if Llantwit would score in the corner and extend their lead however a turn over allowed Treorchy one more opportunity to take the lead. As the ball got moved wide, Treorchy’s flying centre broke through two tacklers and ran half of the pitch to give Treorchy a 17-12 lead at half time.

The second half started strongly for the home side who were now using their size advantage to keep possession. However some lose play on the half way line allowed Llantwit to scoop up the ball and break away. Centre Morgan Jenkins made the break through and as he was being dragged down popped the ball to Ethan White who danced round 2 tacklers to score under the posts. 19-17 and the AmmoKnights fans thought that they would start to move the bigger Treorchy team around. The home team had other ideas and kept the pressure on the visitor’s line. Treorchy soon had then lead back when again some good forward pressure resulted in them scoring in the corner and taking a 22-19 lead into the final 5 minutes. The AmmoKnights turned the game on its head when after some innocuous play, big number eight Pete Mitchell found himself on the half way line in a slither of space. The big lad put his head down and charged to the line scoring under the posts. White converted and the grandstand finish the game deserved was all set. With just minutes remaining Llantwit were awarded a penalty and it looked like Treorchy had blown their chances, however as the visitors tried running the ball it got spilled and the home team kicked through. The ball finished precariously by the Llantwit line and the away team took the ball over their own line handing the advantage to Treorchy. With the stage set, the Treorchy number eight picked up and charged towards the line. Unfortunately for the hosts, Leighton Pawsey stood firm and after being helped by team mates they held the attack at bay. As the ball spilled, it was Pawsey who hacked the ball on and out of the 22. White finished the clearance by picking the ball up and sprinting 80 yards to score under the posts and give the AmmoKnights an unlikely win.

A great game for the fans played in a fantastic spirit by both teams. The AmmoKnights know look forward to a series of home games as their travelling parents can put their feet up and make the short journey to the recreation field.