On Sunday April 8 the Narberth Otters hosted Coventry at Edgeley Field for their first league match of the 2018 season. The hard work and focus that the Otters put into their pre-season preparations paid dividends as the boys scored early and often en-route to a 79-10 victory. Due to some uncertainty regarding the weather and the timing of the match Coventry was a bit shorthanded on the day with only 13 available players. The teams agreed to play without wings (high school rules require an 8 person scrum) and the extra spacing on the field proved beneficial to Narberth.

Jack got things off to a good start by scoring a 60 meter try in the early going from the fly half position which was quickly followed up with a try from Mason and a score from Cameron. The Otters next possession featured a slick passing sequence from Antonio, Ifeyan, and George who worked the ball to the goal line and earned a penalty which Cameron was able to turn into a try via a quick tap. From there Evan scored a couple of tries off of backline moves before Ifeyan stole a lineout without lifters and raced in from 40 meters.

Ifeyan’s second try of the day came when he caught a Coventry clearance kick at midfield and was able to run the ball all the way in by himself. The Otters then stole a scrum and scrum half Phil find fullback Nate for the finish. The last play of the half featured Ifeyan starting the break and then finding Evan who completed his hat trick and gave Narberth a 62-0 lead.

At half-time Coach Gabe Gliwa was able to move some players into new positions and get some of his less experienced players onto the field. The important of playing a full match was emphasized and the guys headed out for the second half. George quickly picked up a loose ball in the midfield and scored it followed by Jack scoring from flyhalf off a scrum and Cameron scoring off of pick and goes to push the lead to 79-0.

Coventry showed some positive signs late in the game as they began linking their forwards to their outside center who had a strong finish to day by scoring two late tries to make the final score 79-10.

After the match prop Davon was awarded man of the match honors for his strong play in the set piece and breakdown as well as a thunderous tackle that he made to snuff out a Coventry attack.

The Otters return to action on Sunday April 15 for a match against Cardinal O’Hara.

Scorers:
Tries: Cameron 3, Evan 3, Jack 2, Ifeyan 2, Mason, Nate, George
Cons: Nate 7

Season Scoring Tally:
Tries: Cam (8) Evan (8) Nate (6) George (4) Ifeyan (3) Jack (3) Mason (3) Nick (2) Antonio (1)
Cons: Nate (14) Owen (1) Wyatt (1)