On a day when all was not to be well in Wales, Monmouth at least advanced into the First Round proper of the Konica Minolta Cup by despatching Amman United 25-10 at the Sports Ground. But what a worrying start. Despite the long journey from Ammanford it was the visitors who first got on the board when a loose kick upfield out of defence gave their right wing the chance to jink through the Monmouth defence virtually untouched for a third minute 0-7 lead. Monmouth regrouped and began to make inroads with fly-half Dave Croudace narrowing the gap to 3-7 with a well taken penalty. And on the quarter-hour Monmouth were to take the lead when Croudace again made a telling line break cutting first left then right, supported well by flanker Mike Griffiths and speedy full-back Matt King for the latter to score and Croudace to convert. The lead was stretched to 13-7 by Croudace with another penalty in the 24th minute as worries about Monmouth’s substitute front row players were proving ill-founded as they put increasing pressure on the younger Ammanford side. It would be impolite to mention the combined age of Messrs Jones, Powell and Boylan but the squeeze they were exerting resulted in several strikes against the head in the first half alone. With the energy of second-row ‘Lenny’ Millard despite a nasty eye injury and the foraging runs of John Powell on one of his better days as well the visitors were struggling to cope especially as their goal-kicker was frittering away penalty opportunities. But then tiredness in Monmouth’s players told and after some repeat offside penalties retreating which the crowd at least were hotly contesting Ammanford clawed back three points on the stroke of half-time. At 13-10 the game was now more even and the Coach hammered home the point that this game would be won by the team which could compose itself. The first team to score in the second half would probably win. In just the third minute of the second half, Monmouth’s lively back row pushed downfield with the aggressive Griffiths prominent and when the ball came back to centre and captain Andrew Davies, he wrong-footed the defence with a sudden change of direction and made a strong break, ably supported left and right for No 8 Adam Seymour to provide the link back to Davies to score a well worked team effort. The kick was unsuccessful but the score of 18-10 was the marker Monmouth needed. Penalties grew along with players’ frustration and Monmouth benefited again from the poor visitors’ goal-kicking when Boylan was harshly adjudged to have failed to release the ball when no-one was holding him and he made ground admittedly along the ground. Amman United were now feeling their early start from West Wales and following a succession of penalties when Monmouth took the scrum alternative they eventually powered over the visitors line with Adam Seymour providing the necessary touch-down. Croudace capped a good game with his conversion to take the score to 25-10 before the end of the third quarter and what proved to be the final score. All in all a comfortable win against players from a higher league so roll on whoever the Club draws in the next round.
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