Match report provided by Carl Field from Cardiff & District.
Rejuvenated Dinas Powys can head into next season full of confidence according to head coach John Dunleavy. He was speaking after his side ended what has been a season to remember by appearing in another cup final when they took on Canton in the Worthington’s Malcolm Thomas Final at Barry RFC. Despite narrowly going down 25-19 to the Division Three Dervishes on the night, it has still been a campaign to remember for Dinas Powys – who took the decision to drop from Division One East Central all the way down to Division Five East Central ahead of this season after hitting hard times. But, with a team packed with players who have come through the club’s junior and youth ranks, the Vale of Glamorgan club have had a new lease of life this season. Dunleavy’s side won the league with a 100 per cent winning record and four games to spare, while also reached the Principality Stadium in the Division Five Cup final where they lost out to Seven Sisters.
Dinas also reached the quarter-finals of the Glamorgan County Silver Ball where they went toe-to-toe with Three West Central champions and eventual Silver Ball runners-up Abercrave. He said: “We had discussions at the end of last season and, if we hadn’t done what we did, if we’d stayed where we were and tried to fight through it, we probably wouldn’t have seen the season out.
“So we had to make a bold decision really as a club to allow us to try and reset and survive. “It turned out to be a godsend as we brought a lot of players back, along with a lot of youngsters coming up through our youth in. “It took a while for us to hit our straps but they’ve come together as a team and we’ve grown and grown through the season.
“Considering where we were last July, we can go into next season with a lot of confidence. “Over the past few months we’ve played some good quality teams from the West Central Division Five in the cup, played Aberavon in the Silver Ball, and again against Canton it has provided the boys with a massive confidence boost to realise they can compete with Division Three sides.
“There’s nothing to stop us pushing on into Division Four and challenging in that division.” The East District showpiece was, like last year, set to be hosted at Glamorgan Wanderers, last Thursday (9 May).
But the pitch at the Wanderers was deemed unplayable by referee Rhidian Crompton during a pitch inspection at 6.20pm, less than an hour before the scheduled kick-off.
It left the two sides frantically ringing round to try and secure an alternative venue and, when Barry kindly agreed to step in and host at short notice – after a chance phone call from Dunleavy to Mike Prosser at Barry – the teams hotfooted it four-and-a-bit miles from the Memorial Ground in Ely to Reservoir Fields in Barry – with kick off pushed back slightly to 7.30pm. When the final did eventually get going, there was a try apiece within the first five minutes. Canton scored first after just two minutes through lock Sam Durnan, converted by outside half Harry Morgan-Grant, but that was cancelled out by Cian Anderson’s try moments later, which he also converted. Morgan-Grant kicked a penalty for Three East Central Canton, before Dinas then hit the front when centre Andrew Szuchnik scored their second try which went unconverted. However it would be Canton with their noses in front 17-12 at half time with their second try scored by Morgan-Grant, which he also converted, before Dinas’ Szuchnik was denied before the break. Canton thought they had gone further in front after the re-start when Morgan-Grant set up wing Peter Hughes, but the interception try was chalked off for an adjudged offside by the touch-judge, despite the try originally having been given by the referee. It wasn’t long before Dinas were up the other end scoring try number three and a second for Szuchnik, converted by Anderson, to go 19-17 ahead. But their hopes of a first East District Cup triumph since 2017 were dashed by a third Canton try – which this time was given – scored by scrum-half Perry Hill, followed by a penalty from Morgan-Grant. Canton held on despite Dinas piling on the pressure, with skipper Josh Dunleavy and his side agonisingly close to grabbing a fourth try. The presentations were made by Amanda Thomas (Account Manager) and Martin Anderson (Regional Director) from Molson Coors.
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