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22 April 2019 / Club News

LAST SECOND SUCCESSES


After Saturday's cardiac arresting, last kick victory, we take a look back at other last ditch successes. Choose what you think are the top three from this little selection of tense finishes.

1987-1988    Andrew James

       Cefn Cribbwr 15 – 16 Maesteg Quins

This Maundy Thursday evening fixture had no league points or cup advancement to play for. Nevertheless it was a dramatic end.

For Andrew James, brought up in Pyle, this was a derby. Cefn took a very late lead and when told a minute remained, kept the ball in play and booted to touch. ‘Jammy’ shouted: ‘There’s still time… chuck the ball in’.

Whether the referee was duped or not, it seemed like a plan. The ball was duly quickly chucked in and James took the ball from the scrum-half on half-way in full stride.

Taking a few calms, James drew back his right peg and hit a shot to nothing dropped goal attempt that bisected the uprights for a win bang on the whistle.

1989-1990    Lee Sparrow

       Taibach 12-14 Maesteg Quins

        Central Glamorgan Division 2

For many seasons, matches between the Quins and the Tigers were concluded by last minute moments of euphoria or disaster for either club.

Quins were desperate to make a name for themselves in Central Glamorgan League rugby. Trailing 12-10 at The Plough, Quins ran from deep in their own twenty-five. John Tidball got near to the ten yards line before passing inside. It seemed the entire pack handled the ball in very short bursts before the ball found Lee Sparrow stampeding up the touchline.

Playing at flanker, he exploded through four tackles. Sparrow’s forty yards run, dive and one-handed touchdown would be purred over for weeks by modern commentators. With the final minute played out, the try sealed victory by two points.

1999-2000    Richard Brace

                    Maesteg Quins 9 – 7 Pontycymer

                    WRU Division 6

League rugby had gone ‘national’. Quins wanted to prove themselves in this wider pond.

Having won at Abercraf in the first game of the season, Quins were trailing 6-7 to fellow Bridgend County Borough club Pontycymer and it would mean a tremendous waste of an away victory.

Pontycymer were at their usual tenacious best. Time was up when the Quins were awarded a penalty, where South Parade’s half-way and five yards lines meet.

Even though both defences had been as tight as a miser’s fist, with a strong headwind blowing up the field, everyone expected a tap and go. Not so.

Richard Brace stepped up and amid the tension, plus into a strong wind, he sent the ball sailing; still ascending as it bisected the uprights for a fraught, tight win.

2000-2001    Ryan John

        Maesteg Quins 20 - 17 Vardre

        Glamorgan County Silver Ball Final. Brewery Field

Although not the very last kick of the game, this was Quins’ first major final. Vardre who played three leagues above the Quins felt time would tell on the Maesteg men and with the scores locked at 17-all, were comfortable going into extra time if need be.

The coal black and blood reds picked up their game and got within kicking range. Vardre duly obliged by coming offside in midfield.

Points machine Ryan John had the weight of a hundred years of club obscurity on his shoulders. It was against the odds that the Quins were in the final, let alone in with a shout of winning it.

John goaled with three minutes to play. The rest is history

2010-2011    Gareth Lewis

        Maesteg Quins 31 – 29 Porth Harlequins

         SWALEC Bowl semi-final. Taffs Well

To win would mean playing in the world rugby Mecca of the Millennium Stadium.

Porth blasted the Quins away in the second half, with four unanswered tries. It seemed inconceivable thirty-nine minutes earlier, but moving into the last minute Porth led 29-28.

Normal time was up when the Rhondda men were reduced to fourteen after an act of foul play. Lewis missed the resulting penalty, plus another drop goal attempt.

Porth gleefully gathered a second late, kickable penalty miss, wasted a few seconds. Believing time was up, they booted the ball to touch with no real distance.

To the Porth players’ amazement - it wasn’t. Standing at the bar in the ‘Last Chance’ saloon just before last orders, with one final play the Quins won the line-out, got into position and Lewis dropped his second goal from his fourth attempt to win the match (31-29) with the last kick of the game.

The Quins, Maesteg Quins followers, were going to the Millennium Stadium to watch their club, not Wales play.

2018-2019    Tadgh McGuckin

         Maesteg Quins 17 - 16 Trebanos

         WRU Championship

After the magnificent achievement of reaching the WRU Championship, this tough league was made all the much tougher with a third of the divisions twelve competing teams set to be relegated at the season’s end.

With three games remaining anyone from sixth spot down remained in peril of losing their Championship status, including Quins opponents on this day – Trebanos. The stakes for winning and losing the match were high. Win and secure your status. Lose and the agony continues.

Having gained and lost the lead twice already, the second time with less than a minute to play to trail 14-16, it seemed the wait to cast off the prospect of relegation would continue.

The second of two late penalties was handed to Tadgh McGuckin. It would be the last act of a tight match. Given the heat, fatigue, difficult angle and mostly, the repercussions of the success or otherwise of the penalty attempt – was this the most important kick in Quins’ history?

The mates mass mobbing of McGuckin as no-side sounded with the raising of the touch judges flags would suggest very much the affirmative.

This sealed Championship status and matches against Neath and Cross Keys as equals in 2019-2020.

 

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