Wrexham’s injury toll mounted throughout the game and they ended up a player short because they didn’t have enough replacements available. The gallant 14, however, created their two best attacking moves of the match and stretched Machynlleth from left to right. Unfortunately they still couldn’t score, winger Will Gauntlett being held near the try line and a four man overlap move being ruined by yet another dropped pass.

WREXHAM   7    Llangollen  5

Wrexham maintained their match fitness in preparation for the restart of the Division Five North programme with a very tight 7-5 victory over visitors Llangollen in a floodlit friendly.

Llangollen got off to a great start and grabbed the lead in the 11^th minute with an unconverted try from a driving maul. Spurred on by coach Russell Penrhyn Jones, who was forced to come out of retirement to plug a gap at outside-half, Wrexham then won a stream of possession through their forwards and put the visitors under enormous pressure.

They levelled the scores in the 22^nd minute when hooker John Gill broke smartly from a maul and flipped a one handed inside pass to scrum-half Ashley Wrathall who touched down near the posts. Full-back Jamie Morris added a neat conversion to put his side in front and then produced a fine defensive performance as he repelled the inevitable Llangollen counter attack.

In the second-half, Wrexham continued to secure plenty of possession through locks Phil Williams and Cliff Baxter with number eight Gareth Noon making a big impression on a rare appearance. Against a stubborn Llangollen defence, however, they were unable to capitalise on a number of chances and, at the end of a very enjoyable encounter, had to settle for their narrowest victory of the season.

WREXHAM   15    Flint  7

Wrexham struggled to defeat Flint in an early kick-off friendly at Bryn Estyn Road, but they were glad to get the opportunity to experiment with their side and keep players match fit in preparation for the resumption of their league programme in a fortnight’s time.      

It was a similar game to the one at Flint last season when the visitors were forced to work very hard for a 23-20 win. Flanker Wayne Roberts gave Wrexham an early lead with a well-worked try amongst the forwards but outside-half Jamie Morris missed the conversion.

Flint competed well and managed to shackle the running of Morris and full-back Andy Clutton who joined the line on a few occasions. The home side created a couple of scoring opportunities of their own, but mistakes denied them as well as the impressive tackling of Wrexham lock Cliff Baxter who gave a good performance on his first full debut.

Eventually, the visitors found a gap in the home defensive wall and winger Llion Morris slipped through to grab a fine unconverted try. That put Wrexham in the driving seat with a 10-0 lead at half-time and coach Russell Penrhyn Jones had high hopes of piling on the points with the use of some high profile replacements in the second-half.

It was Flint, however, who worked hardest after the break and they narrowed the gap with a smart converted try. It was left to number eight Dean Griffiths to make the game safe for the miss-firing visitors, his late unconverted try being his third touchdown in successive games since his recall to the side.

Rhyl 15      WREXHAM   19

Wrexham’s narrow 19-15 win at lowly Rhyl enabled them to hold on to top spot in Division Five North, but they were unhappy with their sub-standard performance which left them trailing Rhyl twice before they finally edged ahead.

The home side fielded a much better squad than the one that capitulated at Wrexham by 7-54 last September, but the visitors possessed a far superior pack and used it to put Rhyl under early pressure. However, when the ball was dropped by a Wrexham attacking winger in the 11^th minute, the Rhyl centre threequarters immediately countered with a smart converted try.

Stunned by this reverse, the visiting pack drove downfield and broke through the Rhyl defence with a thrusting run by number eight Keir Harding. Held at last, he shipped the ball out to flanker Dean Griffiths who charged over the line to score a superb try, outside-half Richard Lloyd adding the conversion that levelled the scores at 7-7.

The Wrexham forwards continued to steamroller their opponents but their attempts to add to their score were frustrated by a resolute home defence, and it was Rhyl who broke away against the run of play and recaptured the lead with an unconverted try. Just before the break, however, scrum-half Mike Powell forced his way over from a maul and Lloyd converted to put Wrexham in the driving seat by 14-12.

Although coach Russell Penrhyn Jones made a few changes at the start of the second-half, Wrexham still continued to give the ball away under pressure and failed to discover their usual rhythm. They did strengthen their defence, however, and finally clinched the game with an unconverted try by winger Scott Davies in the final quarter.

Welshpool 10      WREXHAM   33

Wrexham completed their first double of the season and bounced back to the top of Division Five North with a clear 33-10 victory over strugglers Welshpool at Maesydre Recreation Ground.

Coach Russell Penrhyn Jones was particularly pleased that four of his team’s five tries came from the threequarters who had been pilloried for their lack-lustre performance against Pwllheli on the previous Saturday. “Our key aim for the rest of the season is to get the ball moving and not have to rely on the forwards doing most of the scoring”, added the elated Jones.

Welshpool caused some consternation in the opening minutes when their pressure earned them a penalty and outside-half Daley Jones put his side ahead with an excellent kick. Their lead didn’t last long because Wrexham quickly settled in ideal running conditions and bounced back with a superb try by centre Dan Cheesbrough and a conversion by outside-half Richard Lloyd.

With Dean Griffiths controlling the back of the scrum in a rare appearance at number eight and Youth Team player Jamie Morris giving his side pace and extra options at full-back, Wrexham didn’t take long to extend their lead. Winger Llion Morris finished off a smart handling move with a neat try and Lloyd confirmed his return to form by slotting the conversion.

Then Lloyd put Welshpool under more pressure with a neat chip ahead and lock Gareth Sanger, celebrating his 150^th senior appearance for his club, won a crucial line-out. The pack drove towards the home line and up popped Dean Griffiths to finish off the surge with a deserved try converted by Lloyd.

Needing one more touchdown to claim a much needed bonus point, the visitors brought their backs into play again and released winger Scott Davies to claim a fine try in the corner. Lloyd missed the difficult conversion but made no mistake when he was called on to convert another try by Davies who intercepted on his 22 and ran 80 metres to score.

Leading by 33-3 at the break with the bonus point in the bag, Wrexham then lost some of their concentration in the second-half and failed to add to their tally. Tiredness had probably set in and it all became an anti-climax with the only bright spot in the half being a consolation try for Welshpool centre Paul Chapman and a conversion by Daley Jones.

Wrexham, with 10 wins already this season compared to only 4 for the whole of last season, have a free date this Saturday but are keen to secure a friendly game against similar class opponents from the local fixture pool. They need to maintain their match fitness in preparation for their next Division Five North contest, which will be at Rhyl on Saturday 26^th January.       

WREXHAM 0     Pwllheli  29

A combination of Wrexham’s inability to convert pressure into points and Pwllheli’s superior pace behind the scrum led to Wrexham’s first league defeat of the season and knocked them off the top perch in Division Five North.

Pwllheli now lead the Championship by a point from Wrexham but they have a game in hand and look set to cruise through this season’s campaign, while Wrexham will have to fight it out with Bethesda and Bro Ffestiniog for the second promotion spot on offer to Division Four North.

The home side possessed the stronger of the two packs and, with lock Mike Jones making an impressive return from long term injury, had a chance to take the lead in the 11^th minute when they earned a penalty for an offside offence. Unfortunately outside-half Richard Lloyd missed the target with a fairly straightforward attempt and Wrexham were then forced to defend.

Ten minutes later, a surge by the visiting pack in the Wrexham 22 drew in too many home defenders and the ball was quickly transferred to full-back David-Lloyd Williams who dummied his way under the posts. Fly-half Elgan Rowlands missed the simple conversion.

Wrexham came back strongly with hooker John Gill and flanker Kerry Powell playing with bags of passion as their pack camped in the Pwllheli 22. They should have come away with at least a try after creating two pushover moves against a weaker scrum, but somehow they managed to over complicate their efforts and the visiting defence was able to hold on.

Pwllheli came back with some outstanding running from their talented backs, but committed tackling by the home defenders denied them a further score. In the last minute of the half Wrexham had a good chance to reduce the deficit with a penalty for another offside offence, but Lloyd’s kick was completely miss-cued and the half-time score remained at 5-0 to Pwllheli.

Almost immediately after the restart, the visitors stretched their lead when Elgan Rowlands slotted a 30 metre penalty. They increased their tempo with a series of concerted attacks in the home 22 and scored a crucial try when flanker Meilir Hughes broke off the back of a maul and ran through unopposed to touch down under the posts. Rowlands added the extra points.

To their credit, Wrexham managed to stifle Pwllheli’s fast running threequarters and should have scored in the 65^th minute when they constructed another pushover move. Number eight Keir Harding couldn’t ground the ball, however, and then a good move by Wrexham backs Simon Williams and Dan Cheesbrough was halted by determined defensive work by the visitors. 

In the closing minutes Pwllheli sensed that Wrexham were tiring and that they were still two tries short of gaining a bonus point. They raised their game again and achieved their goal with two touchdowns in the final 3 minutes, hooker Dafydd Myrdin dashing over from a line-out, David-Lloyd Williams running 80 metres to score under the posts and Elgan Rowlands adding two conversions.

Wrexham coach Russell Penrhyn Jones was obviously disappointed with the result and said afterwards, “They are just a better side than us, they are much more clinical and they have more options than us.” He must, however have been pleased with the way that his players contested the game for so long even though they didn’t get the scores that their performance deserved.

WREXHAM 24  Bethesda 17

Flanker Kerry Powell grabbed a brace of tries in difficult conditions to help Wrexham defeat visitors Bethesda and climb into first place in the Division Five North Championship.   

In a roller coaster game, Wrexham found themselves trailing by 0-12 against the wind at the break, but then came back strongly to lead by 24-12 with only two minutes of the game remaining. That was when Bethesda conjured up an unconverted try out of nothing and then came back looking for another, only a resolute tackle by scrum-half John Roberts stopping a Bethesda forward from scoring under the posts in the last minute.  

The rain, wind and mud were a great leveller in the first-half and both sides had to rely on their forwards to make any progress. Lock Phil Williams won a stream of line-out possession for Wrexham, John Roberts made some useful breaks upfield, the kicks of outside-half Richard Lloyd relieved the pressure when needed, but Bethesda slowly took control.

The breakthrough arrived when the home pack lost the ball at a scrum inside their 22 in the 31^st minute and the unmarked outside-half Gareth Wynn Roberts sliced through a gap to score under the posts. He converted his try and then shook Wrexham by turning defence into counter-attack and running over half the length of the pitch to score an unconverted try wide-out.  

Coach Russell Penrhyn Jones put on his big guns, lock Gareth Sanger and prop Iwan Roberts, as replacements at the start of the second-half. Their presence and the astute positional kicking of Richard Lloyd soon put the visitors under pressure and Wrexham were rewarded in the 53^rd minute when number eight Keir Harding slipped the ball to Kerry Powell who scored a fine try.  

Lloyd’s conversion kick fell short but he made no mistake only six minutes later when he converted a penalty try that the referee awarded because Bethesda had illegally pulled down the scrum in a pushover move. That levelled the scores and then the Wrexham pack came back again soon afterwards to move into the lead with a determined try by Powell from a driving maul.

Bethesda’s indiscipline was punished by a red card for one their forwards and the home side made their extra player count in the 72^nd minute when Iwan Roberts powered over from a maul to claim a try that Lloyd had no difficulty in converting.

With the bonus point secured for scoring four tries, Wrexham possibly took their foot off the accelerator. The Bethesda backs spotted a half chance and sent winger Lee Sherlock racing in for an unconverted try in the corner. Winning possession from the restart they created a clear opportunity to level the scores, but the indefatigable John Roberts had one more tackle left in him and made sure that his side claimed maximum points.

Rhyader  15  WREXHAM  24

Wrexham held on to second place behind Pwllheli in the Division Five North Championship with a hard earned victory over lowly Rhayader in wet and windy conditions in mid Wales.

The home side enjoyed wind advantage in the first-half and secured an early lead when flanker Terry John broke from a ruck and scored wide-out. Rhayader played a spoiling game in the poor conditions and prevented Wrexham from opening out with the free flowing rugby that has characterised their game this season.

The visitors still managed to dominate in the set scrum and line-out and gradually mounted pressure against the home defence. Flanker Wayne Roberts spotted a gap in the 21^st minute and managed to force his way through several attempted tackles to score a try that levelled the scores.

Outside-half Jamie Morris failed with his conversion attempt but he came back soon afterwards to add the extra points to a superb try by scrum-half John Roberts. Fed from a scrum by number eight Keir Harding, Roberts ran from 30 metres out, dummied the defenders and touched down close enough to the posts for Morris to convert.   

Leading by 12-5 at the break, Wrexham improved their play in the rucks - where Rhayader had been dominant - and started to control the game. They increased their lead soon after the restart when Wayne Roberts attacked from a maul and notched his second try of the afternoon, Morris adding the conversion.

The inclusion of Youth Team player Rob Moore on the flank maintained their momentum but Rhayader kept plugging away and seized their chance when some indiscipline by the visitors cost them ground. From a quickly taken tap penalty Terry John burst through to score an unconverted try that opened up the game again.

In the final quarter, John claimed his hat-trick when he powered over for another unconverted try and reduced Wrexham’s lead to only four points. An extra effort was needed from Wrexham and they came storming back in the final minutes to put the game beyond Rhayader’s with a deserved try by prop Nick Perrin.

WREXHAM  20  Denbigh  19

Wrexham demonstrated how much they have improved this season by narrowly defeating Denbigh, from a division above, in a floodlit friendly at Bryn Estyn Road.

The home side applied early pressure and went ahead in the 6^th minute when outside-half Richard Lloyd took a quick tap penalty for the forwards to mount a series of drives. Hooker Gareth Perrin then forced his way over for a deserved try that Lloyd failed to convert.

Denbigh came back strongly and levelled the scores seven minutes later with an excellent try by winger Dafydd Cartwright who tore-in off a blind side move and touched down behind the posts. Flanker Trystan Rowlands made no mistake with the simple conversion to put his side in front.

The Wrexham forwards then set to work and piled on pressure in the Denbigh 22. Flanker John Gill, playing another storming game in the back-row, was held up over the visitors line before the pack drove as a unit and number eight Keir Harding touched down in the right corner.

Lloyd’s conversion fell short in the cold breeze but Wrexham were in the driving seat again.

There was a scare near the end of the half when the fast running Denbigh threequarters broke down the left wing, but Wrexham winger Will Gauntlett put in a fine tackle to halt the attack. Then, deep in injury time, the home pack drove the Denbigh pack over their line and Harding touched down again to claim his third brace of tries against the same opponents in consecutive games.  

Leading by 15-7 at the break, Wrexham soon pressed after the start of the second-half with Lloyd employing some smart handling moves to release his team mates through the Denbigh defence. The tactics worked well to a certain extent, but support play often lacked cohesion and too often the ball was spilled and the initiative lost.

Youth Team outside-half Jamie Morris, switched to full-back when coach Russell Penrhyn Jones piled on replacements, showed great promise with a couple of ground winning attacks. However, Wrexham gradually lost their shape due to constant changes and Denbigh suddenly opened up the game again with a smart unconverted try by winger Dan Mars-Jones in the 66^th minute.     

Back came Wrexham with a surge down the right before Lloyd looked up and saw space on the left. His high angled kick towards the far corner was inch perfect and replacement winger Adam Jones was able to collect the ball in the air and score wide-out.

Denbigh weren’t finished, however, and they created another of their defence splitting moves to send lock Will Jones diving under the posts for a try that scrum-half Jamie Winning converted. That left them only one point in arrears and they threw everything at Wrexham until they were awarded a penalty in the 78^th minute for an offside movement by a home forward.

Luckily for Wrexham, Trystan Rowlands’ 40 metre kick into the breeze failed to reach its target and the ball was promptly returned downfield. Moments later they were able to celebrate a hard earned victory that should put them in good shape for next Saturday’s important game at Rhayader.

WREXHAM 19  COBRA  13

Wrexham, trailing by 0-13 in the first-half of their Division Five North contest against early season leaders Cobra, had to draw on all of their reserves to overcome the visitors and maintain their unbeaten league record.

Cobra went in front in the 4^th minute when the home forwards were adjudged to have prevented the release of the ball under pressure, centre Alun Jones kicking a simple penalty in front of the posts.

Wrexham came back strongly with lock Gareth Sanger securing line-out possession and number eight Keir Harding and scrum-half John Roberts driving hard into the Cobra defence. However, the team’s performance at the breakdown didn’t meet the requirements of referee Ian Morris and a stream of penalties upset their rhythm.

One penalty in the 15^th minute enabled Alun Jones to land another successful kick to stretch the visitors’ lead. The heavyweight Cobra pack enjoyed a slight edge in the scrums and engineered a 33^rd minute try for outside-half Gareth Roberts who darted under the posts to score with Alun Jones adding the conversion.

Moments later, lock Mike Jones was forced off with an ankle injury and things looked very bleak for the home side despite the introduction of replacement Phil Williams. Just before the break, however, Wrexham got the breakthrough that they were toiling for when John Roberts forced his way over from a tap penalty move and outside-half Richard Lloyd added the conversion.

Needing to tire the larger of the visiting forwards by employing a running game, Wrexham did exactly the opposite at the start of the second-half and engaged in a mauling contest. That all changed at the beginning of the final quarter when flanker John Gill came on as a replacement and added some spark to the pack.

With Richard Lloyd now kicking deep into the Cobra 22, the home forwards pounded away at the try line until a pushover move was pulled down illegally and Wrexham were awarded a penalty try. Lloyd made no mistake with a simple conversion that put his side in front by one point.

The visitors desperately tried to regain the initiative but being driven off their own ball in the scrum didn’t help their cause. Another long distance kick by Lloyd was followed by a Wrexham pushover move with Keir Harding claiming the successful touchdown, Lloyd missing the conversion.

Needing a converted try in the seven minutes that remained to overtake the home score, Cobra made a final challenge and were helped when Harding was sin binned for a technical offence. They hurled everything at 14 man Wrexham, camped under their posts and looked like scoring until a ball was knocked-on in the final second, leaving a drained home side to celebrate their victory.

Rhos 7  WREXHAM 67

Wrexham moved up to second place in the Division Five North table with a comprehensive 11 try victory over their local rivals Rhos at Ponciau Banks.

The visiting pack laid the foundation for this outstanding success by taking control of the game early on. Although it was essentially a fine team performance, flanker Wayne Roberts stood out for his determined display in all forward phases of the game and he was rewarded for his efforts with an excellent try.

Wrexham established a 17-0 lead by half-time, thanks to tries by winger Scott Davies, Wayne Roberts and number eight Keir Harding plus a conversion by outside-half Michael Powell. After the break, scrum-half John Roberts made a hammer blow when he sent Davies scampering over for his second try, converted again by Powell.

That opened the floodgates with Davies completing his hat-trick and Harding adding his second touchdown. Further tries flowed from flanker John Gill (2), centre Daniel Cheesbrough, lock Gareth Sanger and replacement flanker Kerry Powell.