Archived News - 1998

Archive material from 1998:
SWALEC CUP - QUARTER FINALS
Seven Sisters V Garndiffaith
Llanelli V NEATH - Sun. April 12th
Ebbw Vale V Swansea
Newport V Pontypridd
Ties to be played on April 11th/12th 1998.

THE NEATH SQUAD - 1997 /98 SEASON

Geraint Evans (Captain)

PROP FORWARDS
DARREN MORRIS, BEN EVANS, LEIGHTON GERRARD, MARK HARRIS, DUNCAN JONES
HOOKERS
MEFIN DAVIES, MARCUS THOMAS
SECOND ROW
GLYN LLEWELYN, STEVE MARTIN, STEVE REES, NEIL WATKINS
BACK ROW
IAN BOOBYER, LEE JONES, MARK BENNETT, ANDREW KEMBURY, ROBIN JONES, RICHARD FRANCIS, IAN MOORE, STEVE TANDY
SCRUM - HALF
PATRICK HORGAN, CHRIS BRIDGES, MARK DAVIES
OUTSIDE - HALF
CHRIS JOHN, RICHARD DAVIES, LUKE RICHARDS
CENTRES
GERAINT EVANS (CAPTAIN), RICHARD JONES, ADAM PALFREY, TRISTAN DAVIES
WINGS
DELME WILLIAMS, CHRIS HIGGS, IAN JONES
FULLBACK
DARREN CASE, MATTHEW EVANS

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT
The club is pleased to announce that the first phase of its youth development programme has been put into place via a tie up with NEATH COLTS R.F.C.

There are four young players who have signed contracts with the senior club. The players invoved are all welsh schools squad members. FULLBACK - RICHARD JOHNSTON FLYHALF - LUKE RICHARDS SCRUM HALF - MARK DAVIES LOOSEHEAD PROP - DUNCAN JONES There are two other young players who have signed contracts they are: NUMBER 8 - IAN MOORE, FLANKER - STEVEN TANDY who plays for CWMAVON YOUTH R.F.C. and TONMAWR YOUTH R.F.C. respectively.

TEAM MANAGER, RON WALDRON would like to see the programme extended so that the club could sign more young players but feels that the programme is being held back by a LACK OF FINANCE

CARDIFF 50 NEATH 11

NEATH WERE STILL IN THIS CONTEST UNTIL JUST BEFORE HALF - TIME WHEN GARETH THOMAS SCORED CARDIFF’S SECOND TRY CARDIFF’S OTHER TRIES CAME FROM NIGEL WALKER TWO ,CRAIG MORGAN, ANDREW LEWIS AND GREGORY KAKALA, WHILE NEATH’S REPLY WAS TWO CHRIS JOHN PENALTIES AND A TRY BY AFTER SOME GOOD WORK BY REPLACEMENT RICHARD DAVIES

EDITORS MAN OF THE MATCH PATRICK HORGAN

BRIDGEND 26 NEATH 32

NEATH RECORDED THEIR FIRST AWAY WIN IN THE LEAGUE AND ALSO GAINED THEIR FIRST DOUBLE OF THE SEASON WITH THIS VICTORY AT BRIDGEND. CHRIS JOHN SCORED THE GAMES FIRST TRY AFTER SOME GOOD WORK FROM LEE JONES. FORMER NEATH FAVOURITE JUSTIN BURNELL SCORED A TRY AT THE POSTS FOR THE HOME SIDE . NEATH SOON SCORED THEIR SECOND TRY THIS TIME BY SKIPPER GERAINT DAVIES, WING DELME WILLIAMS SOON SCORED AT THE CORNER.CHRIS KINSEY SCORED BRIDGEND’S SECOND TRY, BRIDGEND SCORED AGAIN THROUGH GARETH CULL. NEATH MADE THE MATCH SAFE WITH A PUSHOVER TRY BY LEE JONES.THE BOOT OF FLY - HALF CHRIS JOHN ADDED 12 POINTS .THIS WIN ALMOST CERTAINLY ENDS THE THREAT OF RELEGATION.

EDITORS MAN OF THE MATCH DARREN MORRIS / BEN EVANS.

PONTYPOOL 26 NEATH 48

NEATH WERE FIRST OUT OF THE BLOCKS IN THIS HASTILY REARRANGED FRIENDLY. THE ALL BLACKS RACED AWAY TO A 26 - 0 LEAD THE MATCH BELONGED TO THE DEBUTANTS WITH FORMER LLANELLI WING IAN JONES SCORING TWO TRIES,THESE WERE FOLLOWED QUICKLY BY TRIES FROM SKIPPER GERAINT EVANS AND OUTSIDE HALF RICHARD DAVIES WHO ALSO ADDED THREE CONS. POOLER THEN REPLIED WITH THREE TRIES BY J. THOMAS ,B, JEFFERIES AND S. LAWRENCE WHICH LAWRENCE CONVERTED. IN THE SECOND REPLACEMENT FLY - HALF LUKE RICHARDS SCORED AN INDIVIDUAL TRY AS WELL AS A PENALTY AND A CONVERSION. GERAINT DAVIES ADDED HIS SECOND TRY OF THE MATCH, D. LYNCH SCORED A TRY FOR PONTYPOOL BEFORE CHRIS HIGGS FINISHED OFF A FINE MOVE CREATED BY RICHARD JONES.

EDITORS MAN OF THE MATCH RICHARD FRANCES

NEATH 41 BUILTH WELLS 0

NEATH MANAGED THEIR FIRST DEFENSIVE SHUTOUT OF THE SEASON AGAINST A HARD WORKING BUILTH UNIT . THE ALL BLACKS SCORED TWO FIRST HALF TRIES BY ADAM PALFREY AND IAN JONES THE SECOND WAS CONVERTED BY CHRIS JOHN. IN THE SECOND HALF NEATH DOMINATED POSSESSION AND FURTHER TRIES WERE ADDED BY JONES AGAIN ,SKIPPER GERAINT EVANS NUMBER 8 LEE JONES AND TWO BY CHRIS HIGGS TWO OF WHICH CHRIS JOHN CONVERTED .