STAFFORDSHIRE 34 GOGLEDD CYMRU 17

Anglesey seemed a long way away as the bus pulled into Burntwood RFC at 7.00pm on 2nd April, three and a half hours after leaving Bangor. Gogledd Cymru seemed even further from home at half time with a score of 27-0. Second half, the situation was reversed with Gogledd Cymru scoring 17 to Staffordshire's 7. It was the manner in which thes tries were scored that left a depleted team feeling positive about the evening's work.
Four players stepped into the Gogledd Cymru side at short notice to cover the injuries to wing Huw Parry, centres Robson and Carlton-Jones, backrow forwards Richard (Tin Tin) Hughes and Huw Jones and second row Rowlands, Haydock and Roberts.
It took a while for the new players to bed into the side but when Gogledd Cymru started to spread the ball wide in the second half they began to score. In all there were three tries, with Edwin Roberts and Andrew Baston scoring one each. Possession remained a major issue for Gogledd Cymru. The young pack with Llion Trefor(Bethesda), again outstanding, and Dewi James (Nant Conwy), playing his first game for the Gogs, had their work cut out. They missed the stablising influence of injured captain Will Bown.
Mathew Parry showed that he is returning to full fitness with good control of the game and Rhys Hughes was a pugnacious as ever around the scrum.
The Gogs pressurized the Staffordshire line in the second half and but for errors in decision making and handling would have scored more points. Gogledd Cymru were given an excellent welcome by the Staffordshire officials and look forward to this becoming a regular fixture.