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Aberavon v Ebbw Vale MatchPack :
Programme Notes
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Welcome to the Steelmen, who had such a fine season in 2006-07 and almost took the title. It would have been an amazing performance, but maybe it was here in Aberavon that their bid ended when they were getting on top only to see centre Richard Thomas snatch an interception try.
They come this season with coach Alex Codling having gone back to London and former Wizard Patrick Horgan has Will Thomas as his assistant. They bring a good team manager in the popular Alan Evans and also a man whose name I do not know, but who is on the gate at Eugene Cross Park and is always a pleasure to see his smiling face.
I don't know if Roy Lewis comes to away games - guards duties allowing - but he retains that unique wit on their wedsite and lives at the opposite end of Badminton Grove, Ebbw Vale, to that which my dear friends Olwen and the late Byron Denning (Glamorgan Cricket scorer and former Cross Keys secretary) both lived. Roy and I both have the same opinion of the WRU!
Indeed, Eugene Cross Park is one of my favourite grounds and coming from Cardiff is not too far away now I can bypass Cwm!
We have signed last season's Ebbw skipper in Craig Cleaver, but he has yet to play and had a neck operation a few weeks ago. Craig, who hails from Merthyr, is a No 8 who I first saw at The Wern, where Chris Perry and Kristian Owen were before joining Aberavon. Indeed, Kristian is now in the Ebbw Vale squad and often reserves his best performances for games against us.
They had in the 50s 'The Forgotten man of Welsh Rugby' as the press called him, in skipper Eric Finney. Also they had Denzil Williams that fine lock-turned-prop and a particular favourite of mine in Arthur Lewis, at centre.
Ernie Lewis and Wilf Hunt were among splendid fly halves and of course there was Byron Hayward and Jason Williams, the only man ahead of Jamie Davies for league points in all divisions.
Now to the Wizards. I watched them score 110 at Dinas Powys with former Dinas player Darren Ryan notching a try and dropped-kicked conversion amidst 18 tries. Chris Morgans and James Garland played delightfully at half back.
Amongst the home side was 18-years-old flanker Scott Davies, son of former Wales fly half Jonathan Davies.
We played well enough at Cardiff, but were cruelly denied the win after being 23-13 in front after 80 minutes, but then, in a strange game at Newport, we came back from 0-17 to lead 24-17 with a believe that players and coaches had at the interval that they could turn the game around.
Coaches Simon King and Nicky Lloyd firmly believe that the current Aberavon squad will become a fine side and certainly we are a better attacking side this season than we were in the second half of last season.
Finally, a reminder that Aberavon meet Neath here at 7.15pm on Tuesday towards the Richard 'George' Morris testimonial. Let us hope that Richard breaks our try record today - he needs two, as he is one behind Daran Griffiths, who has notched a try in all the three Tonmawr games this season.
Howard Evans
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