“A STEP BACK IN TIME”
SEASON 1971/72
The talented Peter Evans had the players vote for the captain’s badge for this season which saw the value of a try being increased from 3points to 4 points. It turned out to be a poor season in regards to results. The Quins played 28 games winning only 9. Of the nine games won, two were home and away to a very weak Pontardawe side with Lyn Evans grabbing 5 tries on the wing for the Quins when they played them at home.The other league successes were against Hendy (see report below) and Glais at home, both won by a solitary point. The others were friendly matches against Llandeilo and end of season friendlies against Pembrokeshire teams.
Prop Howard Iles took over the kicking duties from Colin Davies with Howard ending the season on 93 points. David Dyer’s total of 11 tries on the wing was surpassed by number 8 Roger Walters who ended the season on an excellent total of 12 tries. The Quins had an early exit from the Welsh Cup. It was their second game of the season and they lost 23pts to 10pts at home to Kidwelly. They also had an early exit from the West Wales Cup losing in the first round at home to Loughor by 14pts to 4pts.
Saturday 25st September 1971 at Carmarthen Park
CARMODY ROARS IN FOR LATE WINNER
By Roger Phillips
Carmarthen R.F.C. 13 pts; Hendy, 12pts
(By permission of the Carmarthen Journal)
Magnificent Quins are back in business. After three weeks in the depths of despair they broke their duck with a brilliant last-gasp try from new boy John Carmody in this cliffhanger at the Park.
In a match that had everything, including a couple of early punch-ups, Hendy held the whip hand in the first half but lost their stranglehold in the second session as their pack were mastered in the lines-out and loose by the powerful Quins eight. But the Quins task might have been hopeless if Hendy had not muffed so many scoring chances, especially in the second half. They wasted at least three tries and had to rely on the boot of Western Counties centre Tony Rees to kick nine of their points with penalties.
In the early stages unbeaten Hendy were clearly the masters and their fiery play seemed to take the Quins out of their stride. Their beefeater pack won the lion’s share of good ball from the set pieces and the threes were always a threat moving forward. Fly-half Peter Jenkins kicked cleverly and for long periods played on Quins full-back Brian Furlong, who had an uncomfortable afternoon trying to sweep up these difficult punts into the box.
POWERFUL
Centres Rees and H. Davies were always dangerous in attack and their first time tackling disrupted several promising moves by the home side. Former Llanelli wing Lyndon Jones added to the visitor’s punch behind the scrum with powerful runs down the line but fortunately for the Quins these were few and far between. Indeed, the first real scoring chance of the game went to the Quins. They forced a scrum three yards from the Hendy line in the 26th minute and a lightening strike by hooker Robert Wright put a score well on the cards. But scrum-half Peter Evans threw a head-high pass to centre Percy Jones and all was lost.
Apart from this, the Quins had few real chances before half-time and had to be content with periodic cut-and-thrust raids into Hendy territory. Hendy were also well contained by the Quins cover defence and had to wait until the 39th minute to go ahead. Quins inside-half and skipper Peter Evans was caught offside at a scrum just outside the “25” and Tony Rees made no mistake with the kick from in front of the posts.
LOST EDGE
In the second half it was a very different story. Hendy suddenly lost their edge and the Quins pack came into their own. Inspired by skipper Evans they tore into Hendy and gradually got on top. Jeff Williams and John Llewellyn Evans began to show up well in the lines-out and the back row of Ray Lewis, Roger Walters and Gwilym Beynon hunted like lean and hungry predators sensing a kill.
In the raging front row battle Wright and Howard Iles gave their all while new boy John Carmody playing his first game at prop found things a little to hot and was wisely moved into the engine room with Evans taking over his duties. Behind the scrum, half backs Evans and Ryland Marks look to have the makings of a good partnership.Wing David Dyer was also in fine form and kept the Hendy defence on their toes with his brilliant bursts.
After Rees had put Hendy six points up with his second penalty in the 44th minute, the Quins slipped into top gear and began to fire on all cylinders. Prop John Evans was pulled down inches short of the line after Furlong had sparked off a combined handling movement involving backs and forwards with a 35 yard break down the middle of the field. Then Dyer streaked over after the ball had been swept along the line after a short penalty five yards out. Centre Andy Barnett, who came into the side at the last minute when Spencer Jones cried off with a back injury, levelled the scores with a superb angled conversion.
QUICK RAID
This really set the game alight and for the last 25 minutes the battle roared as the Quins threw everything at Hendy. Dyer came close twice but then Hendy launched a quick raid into the Quins’ territory and from a scrum in front of the posts dapper little fly-half Jenkins sent the ball sailing between the sticks with a perfectly timed drop-kick. Undaunted, the Quins countered and Ryland Marks put them on level terms when he dropped a goal, but no sooner had the cheers died away than Rees had Hendy ahead with his third penalty.
The last five minutes were full of incident. Twice Hendy should have sewn the game up. Wing D. Davies gathered the ball after Furlong had fumbled, only to lose it as he went over; then Lyndon Jones over-ran the ball after it had been kicked over the try line. As the game moved into injury time and the first of the spectators made their way out, John Carmody brought the home crowd to their feet when he hared over for a brilliant try after a magnificent handling movement in which both backs and forwards played a part. Barnett failed to add the extra points but by this time it didn’t matter and Quins were home and dry for their first victory of the season.