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Captain Simon Bevan admitted that he thought Swansea Valley Miners were heading for a hammering yesterday before they produced an incredible recovery to draw their match with Newport Titans at Ystralafra RFC. They turned a 38-18 deficit into a draw - and a first totalrl.com Welsh Conference point - in the process.
But the Titans threw it away and the Miners could have snatched the honours had scrum-half Simon Bevan's conversion of a Jay Bevan try right on the whistle gone a few inches the other side of the post.
The Miners may have thought they were going to be slaughtered when Newport went 20 points ahead with half-an-hour before the final whistle.
But the Swansea Valley outfit dug deep and, to their credit, deserved a draw.
Skipper Bevan said: ''They opened the second-half with three tries and the heads were down among our players but we upped it and managed the draw.
''Now the union season is finished, our squad has improved and we will build on this. We have a lot of good players in the side and we can only get stronger.''
The scrum-half was influential in his side's dramatic draw, converting five of his side's seven tries.
Yet the statistics can only tell a small tale of a thoroughly enjoyable game. All
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credit to Swansea Valley for taking advantage of Newport's inexplicable desire to self-destruct in the game.
The Titans were waltzing through the game at 14-0 up before centre Pat McLernon grabbed the Miners' first touchdown which captain Bevan converted.
And, after a touchdown from stand-off Gareth James, that Bevan also converted, the Miners were just two points behind their opponents. Newport pulled away again when replacement Andy Baines went over for a try that was converted by Cross Keys' Rugby Union forward Neil McKim, his second conversion of the game after earlier scoring a try and adding the extras from an Earl Palmer score.
Full-back Anthony Evans got a 60 yard breakaway touchdown for the Miners, though, which, with Bevan converted and put the Miners within two points of Newport at the break.
Newport thought they had won it, however, when full-back Kirk Johnson and Palmer twice more went over for touchdowns which McKim converted.
However, the valley side did not give up and two touchdowns from replacement Neil Cooper plus a second of the game from Evans, with Bevan converting two, set up a dramatic finale.
Newport could not believe it as the Miners rocked them and, when Jay Bevan went in, his captain only needed one more successful kick to score a dramatic victory but, unfortunately, his conversion went wide.
Scorers. Swansea Valley Miners: Tries: P McLernon, G James, A Evans (2), N Cooper (2), J Bevan. Cons: S Bevan (5). Newport Titans: Tries: R Palmer, N McKim, E Palmer (3), A Baines, K Johnson. Cons: N McKim (5)
Article by Phil Caplan
16 May 2004
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