Match Report:

Tumble made it three wins out of three against the Wanderers in this semi final of the Tovali Bowl competition. The match was played in very wet conditions amid a constant downpour and as such the handling skills of both teams was well below par.

Llanelli Wanderers started much the brighter and put the Magpies under early pressure from the outset. Chris Morris carried on where he left of from last week and put in some strong tackles against a rampant back row of Wanderers. Daniel Rogers at outside half probed for weaknesses in the Tumble defence but centres Jeremy Davies and James Plimmer coped admirably. For ten minutes, Tumble were pinned in their own half and sporadic breaks by Nick Bailey and Mike Harries gave brief respite. When the Magpies pack eventually got into gear they began to dominate the set piece and with Hefin Dumbrill alternating with Dominic Brettle in the linesout, a sufficient stream of ball was being won. Following a break by Davies in midfield, the ball was recycled and, with the Wanderers offside in midfield, the first scoring opportunity fell to Tumble but Allinson pushed the penalty wide.

The Tumble pack, especially the front row of Huw Evans, Clive Morgan and James Jones played soundly and were able to disrupt and win opposition ball. Added to this was the failure by the Wanderers to secure sufficient ball from their own lineout due to the efforts of Dumbrill, it appeared as though it was only a matter of time for Tumble to score. The Wanderers however had other ideas and with Andrew Jenkins urging his pack on, they took the lead after 30 minutes when full back Clement kicked a 43 metre penalty. The next score came three minutes later when, following a break by Bailey, Jeremy Davies regathered the ball and set up the ruck. Wanderers were caught offside in front of their own posts and up stepped Steven Hewitt to level the scores with a successful penalty.

The game was developing into a tactical kicking affair and Tumble's outside half Cerith Humphries probed the corners well. His forwards were playing well and Garry Williams and Huw Evans were quick to clean up loose ball. What scraps of possession gained by the Wanderers was used to gain ground but more often or not both sides ended up making errors between the 10 metre lines and the relieving kick was easily dealt with by both full backs.

Both sides continued to probe for weaknesses throughout the second half, Wanderers through Daniel Rogers and Leighton Williams but tackles from Garry Williams, Morris and Brettle kept the danger down. Tumble's counters came from the linesout with Hefin Dumbrill and the direct running of Plimmer and replacement Lee Jones. Nick Bailey fed Cerith Humphries and his kicks downfield kept the Wanderers at bay. Both sides made tactical substitutions however with the rain easing a little still no cohesive back play was seen. After fifty minutes, Tumble should have increased their lead but Hewitt missed a relatively easy penalty some 25 metres out. The Wanderers were being pushed and turned in the set scrum and Andrew Jenkins did well to use the bad ball he received. Steffan Rogers probed for weaknesses as did fellow Wanderers Cooke and Bannister but the defensive line would not be breached. Morris, Kenny Jones and Humphries stood firm.

It looked like extra time was looming when Tumble were able to chase a kick upfield. The Wanderers struggled the ball to touch, Dumbrill won the ball and with the Magpies trying to maul over, they won a penalty which Hewitt converted. To their credit, the Wanderers pressed from the restart and a Daniel Rogers chip to corner had the Magpies in trouble. The Wanderers won the lineout but four drives later they still could not cross the Magpie line. In to stoppage time, Tumble had a scrum 5 metres from their own line. The ball was won but marauding Llanelli Wanderers forwards saw them charge down the defensive kick. The referee awarded a drop out 22 but with confusion reigning in the Wanderers camp, the kick was taken quickly by Steven Hewitt, he passed to flying wing Richard Rees. Haring upfield like a scalded cat the only opposition was the replacement full back, Rees drew his man in the opposition 22, fed supporting player Hewitt who scored under the posts. The conversion by Hewitt was a simple one after which the referee blew up for no-side.