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Seasiders cause cup shock

Seasiders cause cup shockWhitland 12

Tenby 1 9

CUP GAMES are notorious for the upsets they cause, and Saturday’s fixture between Whitland and Tenby was no exception.

Whitland returned to competing in the Pembrokeshire Knock Out Cup due to their relegation from the SWALEC Championship into Division 1 West, and the Borderers fine history in the competition was not relived, as last year’s finalists Tenby United, sat second two leagues below them in Division 3 West, caused one of the biggest upsets in Pembrokeshire rugby in recent memory.

Parc Llwyn Ty Gwyn had suffered due to the heavy rain fall, however commitment from the Whitland ground staff allowed the fixture to be played in front of a healthy crowd.

There was no shortage of drama during the 80 minutes of play, as Nico Setaro struck three first half penalties, two coming from yellow cards to Tenby players Chris James and Luke Hansford.

The Seasiders replied with a fantastic long distance try, as a blind side move allowed Luke Dedman to touch down under the posts, with Jonathan Rodgers adding the conversion. The score remained 9-7 at the half.

The second half started with a Setaro penalty, taking the home side five points clear. However, ill fortune would strike Whitland as influential second row Raff Williams was wrongfully red carded, with culprit of the crime passing unnoticed.

However, against 14 men, Tenby increased the tempo and drove up field, and their continued pressure would pay dividends as Whitland captain Marc Jones was yellow carded with ten minutes of play remaining. A scrum was called for by Tenby, and from five meters out, the Tenby pack made light work of the defiant six-man scrum that opposed them, as number 8 Pat Roberts touched down, with Rodgers adding the extras.

Leading by two points, with less than 10 minutes to play, the tide of the game could have easily changed when Whitland were rewarded with a penalty some 45 meters from the posts. Nico Setaro stepped up to attempt a long range penalty, which would fall short, striking the underside of the cross bar allowing Tenby to clear their lines with a long kick up-field.

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Superb defence from the Tenby side continued as they vowed not to award another penalty in kicking distance. A turn over would allow Tenby to work their way up field and with a two-man overlap, Number 8 Roberts was able to crash over for his second try with the very last play of the game.

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