Another converted try would be enough earn Welshpool a shock victory and it nearly materialised when Daley Jones picked up a loose ball and headed for Wrexham’s posts. Last ditch defence saved Wrexham, however, and they stormed back immediately to put the issue beyond doubt with a try by centre Simon Williams, converted at last by Dafydd Williams.   

Llanidlois 3 Wrexham 0

A solitary penalty goal, kicked during fierce exchanges in the first-half of a pulsating match at Llanidloes, decided the game in the home club’s favour and ended Wrexham’s hopes of overtaking leaders Llandudno in the Division Five North Championship.

Wrexham retain second place in the title race, three points ahead of Llanidloes, and can still gain promotion to Division Four if they win three of their five remaining games. They failed to capitalise on a number of scoring chances last weekend and will have to improve on their ball distribution and kicking if they are to finish in style this term.

The visitors, missing first choice scrumhalf Michael Powell and hooker John Gill through injury, and centres Chris Andrew and Peter Dougan through unavailability, opened up in the first-half with some good attacking rugby. Llanidloes, knowing that a defeat would severely hamper their promotion chances, responded in similar fashion.

They came up against Simon Williams playing an excellent game for the visitors in defence, and skipper Mike Ward inspiring his forwards with hard grafting work in the back-row. However, when a Wrexham player didn’t release the ball after a tackle in the 25^th minute, local centre Ed Pugh’s penalty kick put his side into the lead. 

Concerted pressure by Wrexham earned two kickable penalties, but the visitors confidently elected to kick into the corners but the hope of launching an attack from the ensuing line-outs never materialised. A surge by Mike McLeod after an attacking run by winger Ben Cheesbrough, almost led to Wrexham score, with prop Geraint Davies crashing over the Llanidloes line for what looked like a perfectly good try. The referee however judged that Davies had been held up by the Llanidloes forwards and the score was disallowed.  

After the break Wrexham were awarded a penalty and again elected to kick towards the Llanidlois corner flag but the kick failed to find touch. Shortly afterwards a 30 metre driving maul by the Wrexham pack was pulled down by a Llanidlois flanker but the referee failed to spot the infringement and another scoring chance had been halted. Llanidloes managed to raise the level of their game and went in search of another score. They controlled the game well for a 20-minute period but failed to break through the Wrexham defence. Lock Mike Jones did a terrific job in winning lineout possession but the home defence coped well with any attempts to cross the line and held on to their lead.

Not making any further headway, the home side eventually elected to play out the remainder of the game in defensive mode with some good positional kicking from Pugh and the visitors were left to experience their first taste of defeat this year.  

WREXHAM 34 Bangor 5

Wrexham defeated bottom club Bangor at Bryn Estyn Road as expected, but they were unhappy with the performance that they delivered in front of their biggest crowd of the season in perfect conditions.

Much of their frustration stemmed from the fact that they were unable to use their strong pack to wear down the visitors because Bangor opted to play uncontested scrums as they were unable to field an adequate front-row. It meant that the Wrexham pack was unable to apply pressure at the scrum, leaving Bangor forwards fresh for their defensive duties.

The young visiting side started the game in spirited fashion and Wrexham took time to settle until centre John Roberts ignited them with two stirring attacks. He didn’t manage to cross the Bangor line but prop Geraint Davies was on hand in the 8^th minute to opening the scoring with a neat try.

Outside-half Dafydd Williams, returning to action for the first time this season, missed the conversion and then failed to add the extra points when centre Peter Doogan scored amongst a ruck of players in the 16^th minute. Just when Wrexham seemed to be getting on top they were forced to defend in their half for the next ten minutes.

Bangor unwisely spurned two simple penalty opportunities as they went in pursuit of tries, the home defence performing well to force several turnovers in possession.  Williams then managed to kick Wrexham out of trouble and they countered with a fierce onslaught in the second quarter, lock Mike McLeod claiming a deserved try.

Leading by 15-0 at half-time, Wrexham piled on the pressure, recycling the ball continuously, but were too static in attack and were easily held by the visitors. Then, against the run of play, Bangor won a penalty in the 56^th minute, kicked upfield and winger Gavin Hughes beat Wrexham full-back James Wrathall to score wide-out.

Bangor hopes soared but were soon dampened when Wrathall made up for his earlier mistake by breaking from half-way and scoring under the posts. Replacement outside-half Chris Andrew made no mistake with the conversion and then unleashed the threequarters again for winger Scott Davies to claim an unconverted try in the corner.

Roberts kept on impressing in the centre and lock Mike Jones was a very prominent force in the pack for the home side, dominating the line-outs and initiating attacks. Bangor continued to resist and spoil, however, and Wrexham were restricted to one more try, Andrew touching down after a 60 metre run and then adding the conversion in the 69^th minute.

Coach Norman Stalker said afterwards, “Having to play uncontested scrums really favoured them as it allowed them time and space to hold us. However, we scored six tries and won the game so it keeps us on track in the Championship race.”

Bro Ffestiniog 5 Wrexham 12

Wrexham overcame an abrasive and charged-up home side to claim their tenth victory of the season in Division Five North, taking another important step on their quest to  secure promotion to the top flight of rugby in North Wales. 

Despite having to make changes due to the unavailability of key players, Wrexham totally dominated the first quarter of the game and should have taken an early lead. John Roberts touched down in the 9th minute but had his ‘try’ disallowed because of an adjudged forward pass.Good throwing at the line-out by hooker John Gill, who is improving with every game, then helped lock Mike McLeod to power over, but the referee denied him a score and insisted that the ball had not been grounded properly.Bro Ffestiniog recovered from their pounding and managed to upset the rhythm of the visitors with some uncompromising play. They took a surprise lead in the 34th minute when full-back Daniel Jones rounded off a quick threequarter move by scoring an unconverted try wide-out. Wrexham were quick to respond, winning a line-out and transferring the ball to outside-half Chris Andrew who smartly released scrum-half Michael Powell to score beneath the posts.  Two points from Andrew’s conversion gave the visitors a 7-5 lead at the break.

The game quickly deteriorated in a scrappy second-half and the referee yellow carded the home number eight for allegedly kicking a player at a ruck. Wrexham continued to maintain their discipline and tried to make their numerical superiority count at this point, but were unable to make any impression. They decided to close down the game as much as possible and kick to the corners to make Bro turn and chase. In the 66th minute, however, McLeod claimed possession at a line-out only 10 metres from the home line and set up a great opportunity for prop Ian Sanger who used pace and his hefty frame to score an unconverted try.Unfortunately, Bro lost their composure totally at this stage and used every means, fair and foul, to try to rescue the game. When their outside-half was red carded for allegedly kicking Wrexham replacement hooker Paul Allen on the floor, Bro’s chances evaporated and Wrexham were relieved to leave bruised but victorious. 

WREXHAM 49 Rhyader 0

Winger Ben Cheesbrough hit top form in Wrexham’s first game at Bryn Estyn Road since November to grab a hat-trick of tries and strengthen his side’s Championship challenge in Division Five North.

They are now only three points behind unbeaten leaders Llandudno and six points clear of Llanidloes in third place. Coach Norman Stalker was happy with his team’s performance and added, “The pleasing thing about this was we tried things and then shut Rhayader out when we had to.”

Rhayader held out against a powerful Wrexham pack, backed by a threequarter line willing to throw the ball about, until the 12th minute when Cheesbrough came off the left wing at pace and jinked twice before scoring to the right of the uprights. Outside-half Chris Andrew calmly slotted the conversion to give his side a clear advantage. 

Five minutes later, Andrew crowned his 100th senior appearance for Wrexham with a fine try, attacking from a passing move on the 22 and adjusting his pace before forcing his way over the line. His conversion attempt flew wide but moments later Wrexham increased their lead when winger Scott Davies raced down the right wing to score an unconverted try.

Hooker John Gill was noticeable for his accurate throwing in at the line-out and tireless work in the loose while flanker Keir Harding also got through an enormous amount of work in the forward exchanges and passed the ball smartly to set up a series of attacks.

Rhayader looked lively when they managed to win the ball but the home side did well to resist their best efforts and reinforced their lead before half-time with a second try from the flying Cheesbrough, again coming off his wing, and a conversion from Andrew.

Leading by 24-0 at the break, Wrexham had to reshuffle their side to cope with the loss of scrum-half Michael Powell due to a shoulder injury. John Roberts moved from the centre to take over from Powell and replacement Graham Shepherd, normally a flanker, came on to fill the berth left vacant by Roberts.

They took time to settle but came to life in the 52nd minute when lock Mike McLeod led his forwards in a passing movement which ended with number eight Rhodri Evans reaching over the visitors line to snatch an unconverted try. Ten minutes later, McLeod claimed a deserved try when he detached from a maul and touched down wide-out.

In the final quarter, replacement centre Peter Doogan broke from the halfway line and stretched away to score under the posts, Andrew adding the extra points. Then Cheesbrough, the man who had started it all, latched onto a McLeod pass in the final minute and touched down to great acclaim, Andrew kicking the final conversion.

Rhos 13 Wrexham 15

Wrexham retained second place in Division Five North with a narrow victory over Rhos in a local derby at Ponciau Banks, but they had to overcome some festive season rustiness and a raging snowstorm in order to secure their first double of the season.

The visitors dominated most of the game but found if difficult to score because they over elaborated in their passing movements, were twice penalised for crossing in the centre and chose wrong options in attack. Rhos were committed to defence for lengthy periods but pressed hard enough in the final stages to gain a consolation try.

Coach Norman Stalker was pleased to start the New Year with a win to reinforce his team’s challenge for promotion but had mixed feelings about the game. “I was unhappy with the snowy conditions but was pleased with the way that the players picked themselves up after playing a poor first half”, he confided afterwards.

The Wrexham pack dominated the early forward exchanges and provided their backs with a stream of possession, only to see it wasted by a string of mistakes apart from a 30 metre break by scrum-half Michael Powell. The arrival of a snowstorm made things more difficult for the players and holding on to the ball became a lottery.

Skipper Mike Ward led by example, tackling fearlessly and ripping possession from his opponents in the mauls. He was assisted by prop Guy Bingham who also made some resolute tackles, but progress was slow and a good defensive effort by the home side resulted in the half finishing scoreless.

After the break, Rhos applied early pressure and took the lead in the 43rd minute when centre Simon Hughes kicked perfectly in the poor conditions to land a penalty from 40 metres. Wrexham’s response was to raise the level of their game and they grabbed the lead six minutes later when centre John Roberts flatfooted the home defence and scored wide-out.

Outside-half Chris Andrew slotted a difficult conversion and added a penalty at the start of the final quarter as Wrexham took control. However, a 68th minute penalty by Hughes reduced the deficit and forced Wrexham to raise their game again until winger Scott Davies broke a tackle and scored an unconverted try in the corner.

Rhos refused to buckle and came back with a solid attack in injury time. When a home player hacked through from 30 metres out and was then impeded, the referee awarded a penalty try that was converted by full-back Stephen Brookes. Wrexham decided that enough was enough and camped in the Rhos half for the final minutes to secure what could prove to be a vital success.    

Llandudno18  Wrexham 0

Wrexham, 18 times winners of the North Wales Cup, were knocked out of this year’s competition by a slicker Llandudno side in a stirring match at Maesdu Road Recreation Ground on Saturday.  

All of Llandudno’s points came in the first-half when the visitors were forced to defend for lengthy periods. Wrexham matched the Seasiders in most departments but lacked the type of cutting edge behind the pack which has enabled Llandudno to dominate Division Five North all of this season.

The visiting forwards played well, winning their fair share of possession from the scrums, mauls and line-outs with lock Ian Sanger and hooker Paul Allen performing at their best. Coach Norman Stalker made changes in the second-half which ensured that Wrexham didn’t concede more points, but they were still unable to penetrate Llandudno’s defensive wall and were forced to accept a rare defeat.

A 9th minute penalty by scrum-half David Davies put the home side in front but Wrexham refused to buckle and kept their line intact until the start of the second-quarter. They were beaten by a flowing break down the right wing, the ball being transferred from right to left and back again before winger Simon Beards touched down in the right corner.

Minutes later, the home backs exploited a gap by the side of a ruck and flooded through to create a try for centre John Evans, Davies missing again with his conversion attempt.  Wrexham still had a chance of making a recovery but suffered a severe blow in first-half injury time when Llandudno were awarded a fortuitous penalty outside Wrexham’s 22.

Davies elected to kick the ball into the corner for a line-out near the visitors line. A clean catch presented Llandudno lock Mark Jones with the opportunity to drive over the line and he didn’t disappoint as he touched down in the corner, Davies failing with the conversion.

Trailing by 0-18 at half-time, Wrexham had a mountain to climb in the second-half but recalled that they were in a similar position at the same ground in November. On that occasion, they bounced back with three tries to make a strong, but ultimately unsuccessful bid, to rescue the game.

Coach Norman Stalker moved Ian Sanger to prop and introduced the emerging Geoff Lawrence at hooker in an effort to gain more momentum. Michael Powell took over from John Roberts at scrum-half and Pete Dougan came on as a substitute to confirm his return to form with a couple of exciting runs which unsettled the home defence.

Although Wrexham battled hard to get back on terms, they saw the writing on the wall when flanker Keir Harding was forced to depart with an ankle injury and the team was  reduced to 14 men because all of the allowed replacements had been used. Revenge for November’s defeat was not to be, but they should fare better when the Seasiders visit Wrexham next March.

Rhyl 5  Wrexham 32

Wrexham maintained their challenge for promotion to Division Four North with a decisive victory over old adversaries Rhyl who struggled to cope with the forward power of the visitors and their lively backline. New coach Norman Stalker was delighted with the success of his first assignment and explained afterwards, “ I told them before the game to be adventurous and not be too concerned about mistakes - and they did that. There could have been more scores but a 32-5 success is a good result by any standard.”

Scrum-half John Roberts signalled the visitors’ intentions when he attacked from the base of a scrum in the opening minute, and it took only few minutes more before he slipped a pass inside Rhyl’s 22 to lock Ian Sanger who raced over to score. Chris Andrew, who was a late replacement for the unavailable Dafydd Williams at outside-half, was just off target with the conversion. Wrexham then had to weather a storm from the Seasiders before they were able to apply more pressure in the second quarter of the game and increased their lead with a fine penalty by Andrew in the 27th minute. Strong running by lock Graham Shepherd increased the tempo and helped centre Daniel Cheesbrough to add a neat try, converted by Andrew. In injury time, however, Sanger was sinbinned for deliberately not retiring when Rhyl took a tap penalty. From the ensuing scrum the home forwards shunted the depleted Wrexham pack backwards before releasing the ball to winger Michael Atkinson who touched down in the right corner, too wide out for centre Ngwenya Mykozisi to add a conversion.

Still one man down at the start of the second-half, Wrexham didn’t just defend until Sanger was able to return to the fray. They attacked strongly, camped in the home 22 and played some excellent open rugby, only to be frustrated by errors which cost them at least two tries as they failed to release the ball in time or obstructed. Eventually, Rhyl’s defence cracked and flanker Keir Harding was very quick to capitalise when the ball from an attempted Rhyl clearance kick hit a home player and rebounded, Harding diving on it to score. The visiting pack then took charge with a couple of strikes against the head and created a pushover try for number eight Rhodri Evans.More chances were wasted as Wrexham continued to play fast open rugby in their best period of the game, but they made their superiority count in the 69th minute when winger Scott Davies was stopped short of the home line. He released the ball to his threequarters and  full-back James Wrathall made no mistake as he joined the line at pace and scored. Kicking duties were them handed to John Roberts who remained calm and collected to slot the ball between the uprights from a difficult angle. Although Rhyl sent on substitutes and gave the visitors some anxious moments in the closing minutes of the game, Man of the Match Graham Shepherd and his pack took a final strike against the head to avert any danger.

WREXHAM v  MACHYNLLETH

Match Posponed

Llandudno 38  Wrexham 19

The eagerly awaited contest between the two unbeaten sides at the top of Division Five North turned into a damp squib at Llandudno when visitors Wrexham conceded a try within 30 seconds of the start and then failed to threaten seriously until the final quarter. The defeat leaves Wrexham trailing Llandudno by three points and is a setback to their hopes of promotion to Division Four by the end of this season. Disappointing as their performance was, however, the season is still in its early stages and Wrexham have the potential to even up matters when Llandudno visit Bryn Estyn Road next March.

Llandudno were fully warmed up at the start of the game and caught the visitors cold when they collected the ball from Wrexham’s kick-off and ran it straight back at them through 10 pairs of hands. The last pair belonged to winger Simon Beards who squeezed in at the right corner before scrum-half Rhodri Carlton-Jones added a neat conversion from the touchline. Wrexham, missing their unavailable locks Mike Jones and Mike McLeod, responded by putting Llandudno under pressure with forward drives but made no impression on the home defence. Outside-half Richard Lloyd switched the line of attack to his backs but careless passing and a member of the front row union joining the assault didn’t help their cause.

A midfield slog ensued and new number eight Lee Boycott did well to tackle former Wrexham flanker Steffan Woodhead at a crucial moment. Full-back Dafydd Williams performed a competent role, relieving pressure at the back until he was apparently kneed in the back while trying to collect a bouncing ball. Reluctant to leave the field, Williams continued at full-back but was clearly limping and unable to react quickly enough when Llandudno kicked ahead moments later and released centre David Davies for a try which Carlton-Jones converted without difficulty.   Four minutes later, the home side stretched their lead with a try by full-back James Thomas who jinked and then breezed his way past the Wrexham centres before planting the ball under the uprights. Carlton-Jones added a simple conversion to give Llandudno a virtually unassailable 21-0 lead at half-time.

Wrexham made a promising start to the second-half with a penetrating attack by centre Simon Williams and a wind assisted kick deep into Llandudno territory by outside-half Richard Lloyd. But their forwards were soon outmauled and their jumpers were beaten at the line-out before Llandudno lock Kelvin Davies crashed over from a tap penalty in the 47th minute.Carlton-Jones supplied an easy conversion but then failed to convert an 51st minute try by centre David Davies. It wasn’t long before Carlton-Jones came back for more, and he did this in style by finishing off a driving maul with a try in the corner to continue the whitewash.

Wrexham piled on replacements at the start of the final quarter and suddenly found their appetite for the game when Richard Lloyd instigated a swift passing movement in the 63rd minute and winger Scott Davies accelerated through a flailing defence to score close to the uprights. Lloyd missed the target with his conversion attempt but made up for this by adding the extra points when Davies scored again six minutes later from an exciting passing movement. Llandudno may have eased off at the start of the final quarter but, having conceded as many scores in this game as they had done all season, fought desperately to lock the door. Wrexham’s pride had been hurt, however, and they stormed back once again with lock Ian Sanger nearly making it across the home line before being held. Then replacement number eight Rhodri Evans won a crucial line-out and immediately fed the ball to the irrepressible Davies who scorched through to claim his third try of the game.

Lloyd added the conversion with five minutes plus injury time remaining, but it was all too late for the visitors who continued to press but were left to rue the lack of fire and concentration which had left them trailing so badly in the earlier stages of the game.

Welshpool 9 Wrexham 15

In almost a carbon copy of last year's game at Maesydre Recreation Ground between the two closely match teams, Wrexham deservedly won this contest with an improved second-half performance after trailing by 0-9 at the break. Victory enabled Wrexham to hold onto their second place in Division Five North, ready to take on leaders Llandudno next week.

Wrexham were forced to defend in the opening period of the game when Welshpool used their well drilled pack to gain an advantage with a strong wind at their backs. An indiscretion by a Wrexham forward presented the home side with a penalty in the 14th minute and full-back Alun Williams made no mistake with his kick to put Welshpool in front. The visitors, boosted by the return of skipper Mike Ward and several key First XV players but missing the services of their meteoric flanker Keir Harding through injury, worked hard to launch a counter attack but their best efforts were frustrated when they were beaten at the line-outs and forced back in the mauls. Scrum-half Michael Powell, outside-half Dafydd Williams and full-back James Wrathall tackled well to limit the ambitions of the determined home side but they were powerless to prevent Alun Williams from kicking two more penalties to increase Welshpool's advantage to nine points by half-time.      

Wrexham's recovery attempt in the second-half was hampered when the wind eased considerably and then hooker Gareth Perrin was sent to the sin-bin for some over-enthusiasm at a ruck. However, they shrugged off their disadvantage and scored in the 56th minute when lock Mike McLeod detached from a maul and crashed over to claim an unconverted try. The match became tense and soon boiled over, Wrexham skipper Mike Ward and a home forward departing for a spell in the sin-bin. This time, the tenacious tackling of centre John Roberts helped the visitors to contain a Welshpool resurgence and Dafydd Williams kicked tactically to force the home side into committing errors before landing a 61st minute penalty.                                                                                                          

With time starting to run out, newcomer Lee Boycott made his debut as a replacement at number eight and immediately made an impact with some powerful tackles which turned over possession. When Wrexham won a line-out on the home 22 in the 72nd minute, the pack surged forward and McLeod emerged to put his side ahead with his second try of the game. Dafydd Williams added a conversion to improve Wrexham's lead to six points and then had to kick accurately in defence as Welshpool countered strongly in a tense final period. Although several penalties were conceded by the visitors, Welshpool needed a try to get on level terms and that never really looked like materialising as Wrexham held on to win.

WREXHAM 10  LLANIDLOES 0

Flanker Keir Harding crowned a magnificent debut appearance for Wrexham by scoring the two tries that gave his side a narrow victory over a fiercely competitive Llanidloes outfit in a fascinating Division Five North contest at Bryn Estyn Road. Harding was called into the side late in the week after some impressive performances for the Second XV and responded with a dynamic display that was urgently needed to keep Wrexham's unbeaten record intact. Temporary coach Richard Lloyd was pleased with his side's performance and stressed, "This was just the sort of hard game that we needed."

The home side pressed strongly from the kick-off with slick handling and support work, winger Scott Davies being denied by a foot in touch and Harding just failing to collect a pass near the Llanidloes line. The pack camped in the 22 and pressure told in the 8th minute when Harding crashed over amongst a mass of bodies to score the opening try. The conversion attempt by outside-half Dafydd Williams flew wide of the target but Wrexham kept up the momentum and were only prevented from adding to their score by the width of the pitch and resolute tackling from a pumped-up visiting side. Locks Mike McLeod and Mike Jones won a stream of line-out possession but more scores refused to come.

Llanidloes, playing with bags of confidence, started to turn the tide in the second quarter as they bombarded the Wrexham defence with high kicks from the base of the scrum. They managed to get close to the home line with a defence splitting pass but Wrexham covered well and centre Chris Andrew used his experience to kick his side downfield again. Leading by their slender 5-0 margin at the break, Wrexham turned round and countered some early pressure from the visitors. The home pack started to dominate the scrums but then faltered as replacements were made, leaving the half-back combination of John Roberts and Dafydd Williams under intense pressure.

In the best game seen at Bryn Estyn Road this season, the Llanidloes backs tested the home defence fully with several excellent breaks, but Wrexham soaked up the pressure and relieved it with accurate touch kicks from Williams and Roberts. Then McLeod rose to the occasion and managed to steal the ball from the Llanidloes forwards at a crucial time. It was only fitting that the try which put Wrexham in the clear at last should come from a great line-out catch and surge upfield from McLeod in the 77th minute. He was stopped but his forwards carried on the movement and Harding popped up again to touch down under the posts. Llanidloes remained defiant to the end, charging down the conversion kick by Williams.

Bangor 0 Wrexham 87

Wrexham's 13 try haul at Bangor enabled them to overtake similarly unbeaten Llandudno at the top of the Division Five North Championship race and also set a new scoring record for the club in the Welsh National League competition.

Outside-half Dafydd Williams crowned his return to rugby following a three match absence by claiming a tally of 20 points from 10 successful conversions. Struggling Bangor had no answer when Wrexham decided to cut loose in the second-half with lock Mike McLeod and winger Scott Davies powering through to score and set up tries. Happily, skipper Mike Ward overcame the effects of an arm injury to lead his side at Cae Milltir. They met some stiff resistance from the home side, who had the wind at their backs in the first-half, but opened the scoring in the 9th minute when prop Geraint Davies touched down from a driving line-out move and Williams added a neat conversion.

Bangor came back strongly in a fiercely competitive ten minute spell and were very unlucky to miss three penalty attempts at goal. Wrexham weathered the storm and then used their  forwards to make ground with a series of quick rucks which led to a 34th minute try by winger Scott Davies, converted by Williams.

The visitors were quickly into their stride at the start of the second-half and extended their lead to 19-0 in the 43rd minute when prop Chris Phillips crashed over and Williams converted. Almost immediately after Bangor restarted the game, lock Mike McLeod forced his way over to score his first try of the game and Williams added the extra points. When play resumed again, centre Ben Cheesbrough made a long break upfield and recycled the ball for skipper Mike Ward to touch down, Williams once again converting.

There was no way back for Bangor and they quickly fell away as Wrexham sent on their replacements and piled on the points. McLeod and Davies crossed for another try apiece and other scores came from Richard Lloyd, Mike Jones, Kelvin Bryan, Guy Bingham, Paul Allen and John Roberts who converted his own try. Williams added five more conversions to round off an impressive team performance.

Team Manager Dave Cheesbrough was delighted with the handsome victory following some inconsistent displays in recent games. "It was a good team effort with players willing to move the ball through their hands to get the scores needed to beat a resilient Bangor side," he enthused after the game.

WREXHAM 27  BRO FFESTINIOG 24

A penalty by outside-half Richard Lloyd, five minutes into injury time, maintained Wrexham's unbeaten title challenge in Division Five North, but his team's inconsistency must be a worry to temporary coach Lloyd who is eager to promote an attacking style of play.  "We did well to get the win," said Lloyd afterwards. "It was good at times but sloppy handling and poor fitness let us down. However, we tried to play rugby and there were lots of positives. Once we eliminate the errors from our game, someone could be in for a big hiding," he added.

The home side hit their best form in the opening period and opened the scoring in the 6th minute with a try by centre John Roberts. It came from a line-out won by lock Mike Jones on the visitors 22 and a quick transference by Richard Lloyd to his threequarters. John Roberts flatfooted the Bro defence with a shimmy and changed direction to score by the posts with Lloyd kicking the simple conversion. Wrexham came back for more and missed a couple of clear chances due to poor concentration before they camped in their opponents 22 again and prodded to find a gap in their defence. Seeing most of the avenues blocked, quick thinking scrum-half Michael Powell picked up from the base of a ruck, feigned to pass but then darted straight to the posts where he wriggled over to score. Lloyd supplied another conversion to put his side firmly in the driving seat with the prospect of more exciting scores to come.

The visitors showed little spark after their drubbing by Mold the previous week but were determined enough to harry the Wrexham forwards and backs into making a series of handling and tactical errors. When a home player blocked the release of the ball in front of his posts in the 22nd minute, centre Edwin Roberts confidently stroked a penalty to reduce the arrears. Wrexham, very ragged in the second quarter, improved after the break and went close with efforts by skipper Mike Ward, full-back James Wrathall and lock Mike McLeod before winger Scott Davies shrugged off several defenders to score wide-out in the 48th minute. Lloyd failed with an angled conversion but Wrexham looked home and dry with their 19-3 lead. Minutes later, however, Bro countered strongly and hooker Haydn Williams chose the direct route from a tap penalty move to force his way over for a score. Edwin Roberts added a conversion to boost his side's improving confidence and then tore through the home line in the 60th minute to claim a try that he converted easily. Wrexham's play then became a total shambles until flanker Ian Sanger was introduced as a replacement and powered over wide-out in the 67th minute. It appeared that the slide had been halted but this was confounded only three minutes later when Edwin Roberts shrugged off six home defenders to add his second try of the game. A conversion by outside-half Barry Jones levelled the scores and a hungrier Bro side went in search of the winning points. Wrexham, with their scrum wilting and injuries hampering their progress, somehow found the character to resist and forced a stalemate. Then, a late assault in the Bro 22 produced a penalty in front of the uprights and Lloyd duly obliged with the winner.

Denbigh 42  Wrexham 15

Wrexham failed their first big test at playing against a team from a higher level of rugby and were knocked out of the Welsh Cup competition at the first hurdle. They forged an impressive 12-0 lead at Denbigh but then ran out of steam and compounded their misfortune by allowing the home side to profit from a stream of errors.

When the game was only four minutes old, lock Mike McLeod pierced the Denbigh defence and scored wide-out to put the visitors in front. Outside-half Richard Lloyd, standing in for the unavailable Dafydd Williams, added the extra points with a fine conversion. Securing a stream of possession and moving the ball quickly to their backs, Wrexham broke through again in the 12th minute and launched winger Daniel Cheesbrough on a run that resulted in another excellent try near the corner. This time, the angle was too acute for Lloyd to add a conversion but Wrexham continued to dominate proceedings for the first quarter.

Denbigh gradually recovered and hit back with tries by full-back Dion Howatson and winger Richard Grace plus a conversion by outside-half Tony Jones that levelled the scores. Just before the break, however, pressure by the visitors earned a penalty which Lloyd kicked to give his side a 15-12 half-time lead.

Denbigh decided to use the pace of their backs and their slope advantage to stretch Wrexham in the second-half and it wasn't long before their plan produced dividends. Tony Jones scythed through to score in the 44th minute and converted his own try before centre Iwan Edwards added another converted score only minutes later.

The visitors attempted to get back on terms again but the home side were quicker to the breakdown and capitalised on a series of handling and kicking mistakes. The Division Four side wrapped up their success with further tries from winger Will Jones and Iwan Edwards together with a brace of penalties from Tony Jones.

Temporary coach Richard Lloyd said afterwards, "The final score was not an accurate reflection of the game. We gave them tries through silly mistakes and were not fit enough to play at what is only a slightly higher level of rugby. It was still a good team effort which was promising in many ways, but we'll have to look hard at our fitness levels."                                                                                                                                                                       

Rhyader 7   Wrexham 45

NO REPORT

WREXHAM 38  RHOS 3

Wrexham made an excellent start to their new Division Five North campaign by outclassing Rhos in a pulsating derby game at Bryn Estyn Road, bagging a six try haul in the process.

Knowing that they needed to make an impression before the visiting pack had time to raise a head of steam, Wrexham quickly won possession following their kick-off and claimed the lead in the second minute with a fine try by centre Daniel Cheesbrough, who forced his way past two defenders. New outside-half Dafydd Williams supplied a neat conversion.

Rhos quickly recovered and narrowed the gap only three minutes later when full-back Alan Andrews kicked a penalty to punish the Wrexham forwards for preventing the release of the ball. That only served to inspire the home side and excellent work by Dafydd Williams and his backs soon produced a try by winger Scott Davies that Williams converted from an difficult angle.

The visitors enjoyed their best moments in the middle period of the first-half when, prompted by their powerful scrum-half Simon Hughes, they pounded away at the Wrexham line for over five minutes. A solid defence thwarted their best efforts before the home side escaped from the stranglehold and added to their score with another try by Cheesbrough, converted by Dafydd Williams.

Simon Williams, who replaced Chris Andrew when the winger was injured early on, then got in on the scoring act when he cut in at an angle and took a neat pass from Cheesbrough before touching down near the posts. Dafydd Williams, so impressive with his all round skills at outside-half, missed the conversion to leave Wrexham leading by 26-3 at half-time.

Hard work by the home forwards, led by skipper Mike Ward and lock Mike McLeod, enabled Wrexham to increase their lead five minutes after the restart. Number eight Rhodri Evans picked up from the base of a 5 metre scrum before slipping the ball to McLeod who powered over close enough to the posts for Dafydd Williams to add a conversion.

Minutes later, prop Geraint Davies helped to create Wrexham's final try when he hacked on at a breakdown, forced the Rhos full-back to make a mistake in clearing the loose ball and then set up promising scrum-half Michael Powell for a score wide-out. Rhos continued to press but lacked penetration behind the scrum and failed to gain a late consolation.

It was a first success for Wrexham's stand-in coach Richard Lloyd who prepared his team well for this important first league game of the season. Although the home side won by a handsome margin, many errors crept into their play, particularly late on, and forwards and backs will have to be much slicker against teams like Bro Ffestiniog and Llandudno.

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