Fixture

Tries:         Adams

Barry 2^nd XV travelled to a rain-soaked capital to face St Josephs as they continued their league campaign.

Manager Ken Chow and coaches Rhidian Scott and Martin Tanner were once again faced with a long list of players unavailable, injured, or otherwise engaged as has been the case for most of the season.  Their cause was not helped by captain Kyle Case failing to turn up for the match and players arriving late on the day.

The poor preparations were evident as St Josephs scored from the kick off after a handling error by the visitors. 

Things did not improve as the half wore on, as Barry battled against their well-drilled opponents and the elements.  With the rain battering down on the green-and-whites, they were unable to stem the tide and the home side was out of sight by half time.

Chances for the visitors to score were few and far between in the first interval, although Matt Russell did miss a shot at goal and Nick Rolfe had a try ruled out for double movement.

At half time the coaching team offered words of encouragement, but things looked from bad to worse as both John Miles and Mitchell Scott hobbled off with injuries.

That, somehow, seemed to galvanise the struggling visitors as make-shift flanker Jordan Clarke joined man-of-the-match Callum Scott in disrupting the St Josephs attack in the second interval.

The home side had the lions’ share of possession but found the Barry defence unrelenting.  A tremendous number of tackles were made in the 40 minutes, most of it in Barry’s own twenty-two, but still the door was shut.

With the home side increasingly frustrated and their attempt by their back row to influence refereeing decisions failing, Barry sensed a chance to break out and pieced together a period of possession.

When Clarke, Scott and Peake made good yards into the St Josephs half, the ball was recycled quickly by scrum-half Rhidian Mepham.  The ball was passed down the line, with Chris Bailey making good ground before offloading to Tom Adams, who sprinted through in the corner to score.  Russell was unable to add the extras.

While the final score was a fair reflection of the home side’s dominance over 80 minutes, the players who donned the Barry shirt should be proud of their efforts in atrocious conditions.  One must wonder what this group of players can achieve if players take more responsibility in their availability and punctuality in training and match day.

2^nd XV will host Llanishen next weekend whilst the 3^rd XV travel to Old Illtydians.

Team:  Evans; Adams, Clarke, Peake, Bailey; Russell, Mepham; Fortt, Turnbull, Hall; Rolfe, M Scott; Lee Jones ©, Miles, C Scott

Replacements:  Leighton Jones, Westall, Leech

Man-of-the-match:  C Scott