Seasiders Hold Back The Tide

From the kick off, the Mermaids were kept well inside their own half. Even when they got possession they were unable to make ground against a tight Manchester defensive line who were quick and alert to snuff out their opposite numbers.
As so often happened last season however, Manchester did not make the best use of their very quick back line, with Katy Morten at outside centre and Hannah Johnson outside her on the wing too often staring at empty space but without the benefit of the ball.
As so often happens, Colwyn Bay eventually managed to escape their half and progressed towards Manchester’s 22. A quick dart towards the line looked as if it had been stopped but a determined Mermaid’s arm stretched out in control of the ball for the first score.
Manchester’s pack, which is completely reshaped from last season as our U15s have moved up, were playing well together. Although they possibly under committed to the breakdown at times, the new players coped well with the more technical play expected at U18s and were certainly a match for Colwyn Bay.
In fact it was from a technically excellent lineout that Emily Sumner was lifted to win the ball for her captain Amy Lees at scrum half to finally release the backs. When the ball reached Hannah Johnson, it looked as if she would get a birthday try but some determined defending stopped her short. Excellent support work by Jess Gurney kept up the momentum and with Manchester in possession a hard charging Leanne Murray scored an excellent try in her first game for the U18s. The teams turned round level at 5-5.
It looked as if Manchester would tie things up from the restart when Colwyn Bay were penalised for an accidental offside close to their 22. The sidewards movement of the first half continued however with the home side confined to their 22m line, occasionally advancing to half way but no further.
Once again however, the Mermaids did eventually find a way through, and only a tremendous one-on-one tackle by Harriet Parsons prevented the score. It was now Colwyn Bay’s turn to finally put some pressure on their visitors and from a quick penalty that pressure advanced uncomfortably close to the line. From a surge towards the try line, the referee decided that a dropped ball had gone backwards and a retreating Manchester had to re-gather it from their side of the try line. Colwyn Bay pounced so that Manchester were unable to clear their lines and had to concede a five metre scrum under the posts.
Unfortunately the reaction of the defensive line from the scrum was far too slow and Colwyn Bay were the team to convert territory and possession into a try, duly converted to make it 12-5.
With four minutes to go and Manchester well capable of pinching the game back, it was disappointing that there was not enough intensity to close the game out. With a scoreline that did not reflect their efforts and certainly not their territorial advantage, Manchester finished looking unnecessarily deflated after a very strong performance against the North Wales champions.

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