DESPITE suffering defeat at the hands of visitors Rhiwbina, the Penarth Rugby Club U14s responded to a lethargic first half with a sterling display in the second period.

In sunny and blustery conditions at the Athletic Field, both teams were eager to please the large crowd, but Penarth never got going in the first half and the visitors ran in four unanswered tries.

At the start of the second half, Penarth clicked into gear and set about retrieving the deficit. Josh, in his usual role of reliable try scorer, took control and crossed the whitewash three times to put some respectability into the scoreline.Tom J also scored a try as Penarth chased down their opponents, while Ben J added three conversions.

However, Rhiwbina managed a try of their own in the second half to keep a points cushions and finish as victors.

Penarth had left themselves with too much work to do in the second half and, unfortunately, this also led to some heated exchanges between the teams. Maybe, if Penarth had shown a bit more aggression in the first half, the result might have been different.

Well done to all players, coaches, officials and supporters.

This Sunday (March 30) at 10am Penarth U14s have secured the services of Shane Williams, the former Wales international and British Lions player, who will lead a special training session sponsored by Mrs Reed and raising funds for the Velindre Cancer Treatment Centre. The training will be followed by a question and answer session with Shane and a game against Old Salesians, an English touring team.