Girling 33 - 0 Usk 2nds

19th April 2008

Girling once again gained a creditable victory on Saturday defeating an experienced Usk second fifteen. The Girling team were quickly into their stride and the pressure was soon on the home teams line. The resulting glut of possesionsoon resulted in two well worked tries for centres Kevin Yates and Geraint Smith, the latter after superb handling skills by loose forwards Paul Fisher and Owain Tudball. Both tries were converted by scrum half Andy Batesand it wasn't long before he added his name to the list of try scorers with a touch down under the posts to give Girling a 21 point half time lead.

In the second half Girling seemed to lose concentration and in a scrappy first twenty minutes Usk were unlucky not to get on the scoresheet. The visitors eventually woke up andfurther tries from flanker James Morgan and hooker Stuart Mapps sealed a comfortable victory.

The onlyincident to spoil the match came late on when second row Byron Weaver was stretchered off with a damaged knee

Girling 12 - 6 Llanwern

29th March 2008

Girling continued their winning ways on Saturday with another hard fought victory, this time over Llanwern in the Newport and District Cup.

The continuous rain did neither side any favours and the backs saw very little of the ball throughout the entire match. Llanwern were first to score with two well struck penalties in a first half which was marred only by the referee having to issue a number of cards for foul play which affected the continuity of both sides.

With a six point defecit Girling gradually upped the tempo in the second half and slowly began to gain the upper hand. With the wind at their backsthe home side secured territorial advantage and a series of rucks and mauls close to the visitors line eventually led to a try for scrum half Ian Cantelo. This was not only the turning point in the match but also a momentous occasion for the player himself who had earlier led the side out onto the pitch in recognition of his 500th appearance for the club.

The winning score came when outside half Don Jones weaved his way to the line to score a try which was converted by captain Adrian Smith to put Girling into the semi-final draw

 

Girling 24 - 15 Newport HSOB 2nds

22nd March 2008

In a tough encounter at the Girling Sports Fields on Saturday the home team eventually overcame a strong and determined Newport HSOB Second fifteen to gain a hard earned victory. Because of the enforced break due to the Six Nations Championship spectators were expecting a slow start but nothing could have been further from the truth with both sides starting briskly throwing the ball around at every opportunity.

As the first half progressed the visitors slowly began to gain the upper hand and by half time were in the lead by a converted try. With a strong wind at their backs Girling hoped to get quickly back into the match but the visitors stunned them with another try to lead 12 - 0. This lead was short lived however as a quickly taken penalty resulted in scrum half Andy Bates crossing for a try before flanker James Morgansprinted half the length of the pitch to claim a try which Bates converted.

Giring now looked the stronger team and inevitably took the lead when prop forward Gary Hitchens crashed over for the first of his two tries following good work from the forwards. His second came in a similar manner when he was unstoppable from a tapped penalty five yards out to seal a girling victory which looked improbable for a large part of the game.

   

Girling 27 - 12 Garndiffaith 2nds

13th October 2007

Girling eventually came out on top in this hard fought fixture in which no quarter was given by either side. Both teams ran the ball at every opportunity, but although the Garn outside half was causing havoc in the Girling defence it was the home side that took the lead when Martin Vaughan broke clear only to be brought down short of the line where centre David Fosdyke was on hand to pick up and score. Ten minutes later the lead was increased when Lewis Jones touched down for Andy Bates to convert. The visitors were not to be thwarted though and a converted try of their own reduced the half time lead to just five points.

In the second half Bates kicked a penalty before the visitors once again reduced the deficit with a well worked try. A driving maul resulted in a try for Vaughan but the result was always in the balance until a clearance kick was chased by speedy winger Lewis Jones and his second try sealed the win for Girling.

Although there were a few regular players missing the coaching staff will be pleased with this performance as all the Girling players stood up to be counted in a tough fixture.

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Girling 21 - 8 Machen 2nds

1st September 2007

Girling started the new campaign with a hard fought victory against a strong visiting Machen team on saturday and it was a pleasure to see both teams begin the season playing fast open rugby. The early stages were evenly matched with both sides testing their opposite defence with an array of attacking moves but it was machen who broke the deadlock midway through the half with a long range penalty. It wasn't long however before Girling scrum half Andy bates scored the first try of the match which he converted himself and the remainder of the half belonged to the home team. Bates scored his second try shortly before the break with a well executed darting run which resulted in a touchdown under the posts, which he again converted, to give Girling an eleven point lead.

Within minutes of the restart Machen scored wide out on the right and the match was once again in the balance. as the second half progressed the result could have gone either way but it was the home team who got the deciding score when one of their trademark driving mauls resulted in a try for Duane Gardner, Bates converted to complete the scoring for a well earned Girling victory.