Fixture

The match was played in near perfect conditions and with the playing surface in excellent condition the good sized crowd looked forward to an open fluid match.

It became clear from the opening minutes that Cobra's pack would be competitive in the loose but the speedy Pwllheli backs looked dangerous from the  outset. As it was no one expected the try blitz which overwhelmed the visitors. After six minutes Pwllheli's left wing Arwel Thomas was put into space and his pace too him outside the despairing Cobra cover. He touched down wide out . Captain Nick Butterworth slotted a fine  conversion. Pwllheli maintained their momentum and keeping the ball live they probed for weaknesses in Cobra's defence. On ten minutes Butterworth capitalised on a dropped off tackle to crash over. The kick drifted wide. Thirteen minutes in it was wing Arwel Thomas who again beat the cover to score his second try. The kick missed.

It was by now very apparent that Cobra could match Pwllheli for energy and commitment but they had no answer to Pwllheli's powerful and speedy backs. On nineteen  minutes Kiwi Kalim Klemente who crashed through several would be tacklers to score the home side's fourth and bonus point try.Nick Butterworth's conversion gave Pwllheli a twenty four to nil lead. Sadly for Cobra the onslaught continued. John Pugh added Pwllheli's fifth after a well taken interception. The conversion was successful. Cobra the dug deep and had some territorial advantage for a short period. Howver on thirty two minutes they again succumbed to Pwllheli's pace and it was Pugh again who touched down. The kick missed. Not to be outdone Pwllheli's pack did well to turn over ball from the bulky visiting forwards in a ruck. Pwllheli's gifted number eight  Tom Parry picked up the loose ball and sprinted fifty metres to score. On the stroke of halftime John Pugh secured his hatrick of tries to take the score at the interval to forty six points to nil.

Pwllheli made a raft of substitutions at half time but the changes did not lessen the pressure on the visitors.After only six minutes right wing Mathew Butterworth scored following a sweeping passing movement.His brother added the conversion to take Pwllheli past the fifty points mark. Again Cobra tried to consolidate and they held Pwllheli out for the next ten minutes but then the floodgates opened again. Centre Deio Brunelli scored on fifteen minutes and Tom Parry notched his second three minutes later. Butterworth added both kicks.Sub Robin Hughes Jones added a brace on twenty five and twenty seven minutes before wing Arwel Thomas got his hatrick after thirty three minutes. Nick Butterworth kicked both conversions. Keleente scored his team's fifteenth  try of the day after thirty five minutes and he converted his own score. At the death Robin Hughes Jones scored his third try to take Pwllheli to the 100 points.

Notwithstanding the result COBRA earned the respect of Pwllheli's players,coaches and knowledgeable supporters. They knew that COBRA travelled with a side weakened by injuries and a host of players being unavailable and though heavily beaten they gave their all and they can be proud of their efforts.

On Saturday Pwllheli are away to Colwyn Bay. This is always a tough fixture for the Lleyn side and the Bay will be keen to to take the scalp of double League Champions Pwllheli.

Pwllheli's Youths were well beaten by an organised and effective Nant Conwy team. Pwllheli pressed for long periods but Nant's defence was outstanding.

On a more negative note Pwllheli's away second team fixture was only one of seven postponements in the two second team leagues in North Wales . The fact that only one match was played throughout the north must surely ring alarm bells for the organisers of North Wales rugby.