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Aberavon v Bridgend MatchPack : Preview
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Aberavon |
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Bridgend |
Principality Building Society Premiership, Talbot Athletic Ground, Saturday
March 1st 2008
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Aberavon get back to Principality Premiership action
this coming Saturday when they welcome Bridgend to the
Talbot Athletic Ground, kick off 2:30pm. |
The Ravens have won five and drawn one of their
seventeen league games this season and are currently twelfth in
the table, seven positions below fifth placed Aberavon.
The Brewery Field side had a tough start to the season as they
won just one from their opening ten games when they beat
Llandovery at home. They also picked up another point in their
home draw with Bedwas. The Cup appeared to bring a change of
fortune for the side though as a win over Bryncethin marked the
start of a run of six wins from seven. After the cup win against
the League Six Central side the Ravens went on to beat Maesteg,
Glamorgan Wanderers, Ebbw Vale and Llanelli in the league, plus
Builth Wells in the next round of the cup. A narrow defeat to
Newport at Rodney Parade the only blot during the run. In their
last couple of league games the Ravens went down 10 - 12 at
Cardiff and 16 - 23 at home to Neath last Friday.
Head-to-head Aberavon and Bridgend have faced each other 19
times in the Welsh National League with the Ravens leading the
series by 12 wins to 6 with another game drawn. At the Talbot
Athletic Ground Bridgend lead 5 to 3 with one game drawn.
Last seasons game saw Aberavon narrowly win 23 - 22 in a hard
fought game. A penalty duel between Jamie Davies and Gareth
David saw the Wizards lead 9 - 6 after half hour before tries by
Richard Radford and Darren Simpson, plus another penalty by
David saw the visitors take a 19 - 9 interval lead. Davies and
David traded penalties in the third quarter before Davies kicked
his fifth and sixth penalties in the last quarter with a try by
Liam Gadd giving the Wizards the narrow win.
The Wizards team that day was: Liam Gadd; Paul Bamsey, Gareth
Knox, David Hawkins (rep Darren Ryan), Richard Thomas; Jamie
Davies, Dan Hawkins; Mike Harris, Marc Breeze (rep Chris Wells),
Ceri Jones (rep Lloyd Howell), Ian Moore (rep Andrew Fisher),
Chris Gittins (capt), James Davies, Robbie Morgan (rep Richard
Morris), Simon Peters.
The referee for Saturday's game is Matthew Aplin, aided by touch
judges Steve Edwards and Dominic Lonergan.
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