Rugby Union: Nant Conwy overturn big deficit to win North Wales Senior Cup tie

Mar 4 2010

NANT CONWY 28 LLANGEFNI 9

NORTH WALES SENIOR CUP

(Nant win 35-31 on aggregate)

JUST two minutes remained when Nant wing Ioan Davies broke his old club’s hearts by notching the try which clinched the Trefriw men a dramatic aggregate victory.

Trailing 22-7 from the first leg, the odds were against the holders, but virtually throughout the game the hosts attacked.

They could easily have scored tries on four occasions early in the match but the final pass was knocked on each time.

And against the run of play after half an hour, Llangefni’s number 10 Carwyn Lloyd Milburn scored with a penalty.

Right on the stroke of half time, Llywarch ap Myrddin at last found a gap in the Llangefni defence and nabbed a try under the posts. An easy conversion for the same player meant Nant were 11 points (25- 14) in arrears at the interval.

Early in the second half, Nant were punished again with a second Milburn penalty and the game entered its final 15 minutes with the hosts looking to be on the way out of the competition.

But Nant continued to camp in the Cefni half, and following three consecutive rucks by the try line No8 and captain Carwyn Ellis finally crashed over, ap Myrddin adding the extras.

Two minutes later Nant lock Dewi James pounced for a try which ap Myrddin improved again to make it 21-6 and the aggregates level at 28-28.

Immediately from the restart, the Anglesey side won a third penalty which Milburn put over and there was only two minutes left when ex-Cefni wing Davies used his speed to collect the decisive try, ap Myrddin adding another conversion to seal the tie.

This Saturday brings a huge game in the WRU Division One North title race when Nant Conwy visit leaders Caernarfon (2.30pm).

The Cofis head the table by a point, but crucially champions Nant, who have a perfect record of 10 wins from 10 starts, have a game in hand.

Caernarfon have lost just once in 11 matches this term – and that was at Nant back in October when the Trefriw outfit triumphed 20-9.

So it is all to play for at Y Morfa this Saturday with defeat not an option for either side.