Fixture

Barry 2^nd XV continued their poor form as they exited the East District Cup.

Preparations for the match once again proved to be a nightmare for coach Rhidian Scott and manager Ken Chow, as the long list of players unavailable was combined with no less than five players withdrawing from the match day squad within moments of kick-off.

With players out of position and little warm-up, it was no surprise that Barry were under pressure right from the off.  The situation would not improve for the next 80 minutes.

St Peters went ahead with Barry hardly touching the ball, and despite a brief rally, led by Hywel Jones, captain Dominic Busuttil and flanker Jake Goodfellow when the visitors got on the scoreboard with a Dylan Robertson penalty, that was as good as it got for the green-and-whites.

Things got from bad to worse when talisman Jones hobbled off with a serious injury before full-back Rhys Knapman followed suit.

With even more players out of position the visiting defence became disorganised as the home side piled on the points.

Barry never gave up and strung together a few attacks in the second half, which, if not for a lack of cutting edge, would have yielded a few scores but it was not to be.

The players who bravely took to the field for the game must be commended for their dedication and hard work, but they were badly let down by those who once again lack responsibility in their own availability.

The game ended with manager Chow in the front row which simply demonstrates the necessity of players to stop withdrawing from the match-day squad in the last minute.

The situation leaves the coach frustrated and the manager considering his position.

There are no more games for the 2^nd XV in 2016.  Here is to hoping for better things in 2017.

Team:  Knapman; Forrester, Busuttil (c), Evans, Gill; Robertson, Pugh; Fortt, Hall, Brooke; Deyes, M Jones; Goodfellow, Cleal, H Jones

Replacements:  L Jones, Leech, Chow

Man of the match:  Busuttil