A Monmouth side weakened by injury missed the chance to head their Cardiff High School Old Boys opponents by losing 9-21 when a win would have seen them move into the promotion grouping.

Despite trying hard right to the end, Monmouth never recovered from a first fifteen minute bombardment which brought the home side a thirteen point lead, first from two well struck penalties and then a converted try following a transfer along the line to the right wing who chipped his opponent to score.

The Monmouth defence regrouped and held back the Cardiff's initially superior team vigour, and a penalty by fly-half Croudace reduced the difference to 3-13 at half time, but the pressure remaining apparent from the sin-binning of Matt Morgan for tackling an opponent inside ten yards from a tapped penalty.

Their resolve was strengthened by the half-time team talk and the visiting pack began to cause concern for the home team who conceded 6 points to Croudace's boot inside the first 14 minutes of the second half. Then disaster!

From a quick penalty Cardiff HSOB stretched the Monmouth defence in the right hand corner to score an unconverted try, although those who were better sighted than the referee were still arguing in the clubhouse that the ball had been bounced rather than correctly grounded. The try however was they counted and this proved enough to lift the home team and put Monmouth on the back foot for the rest of the game.

Monmouth tried to kick their way out of their 22 but the home team had good counter-attackers who ran the ball back each time. An injury to Croudace's leg with which he had to continue to play due to a lack of travelling substitutes was the sort of handicap Monmouth could have done without, with their determined play continuing to disrupt their opponent's forward game plan. The Cardiff frustration was beginning to show, but when the referee blew for what the visiting supporters felt was a justified penalty for stamping, they were amazed to see a Monmouth forward penalised for coming into the ruck from the side. The successful penalty put the home side out of sight with just a few minutes to go, leaving many regrets about what might have been.

The return fixture in February promises to be a good game, but now thoughts must shift to the visit of Bedlinog next Saturday, k.o. 2.30p.m.