This week Tony Gilmour had problems and the Vale side were a bare 15 players with flanker Ben Charnley having to play on the wing on his return from injury. Switches to the team because Dawson became unavailable and Berry uncontactable were the reason for this.
No players were available for substitutes.
With Caldy only having one win and Vale none hopefully it would be a pretty even game. It did transpire that Vale had the better pack but Caldy speedier backs which were to make a difference in the final score.
First up Caldy moved the ball wide and were only stopped when newcomer Laurence Beagley put in a try saving tackle with the line at Caldy’s mercy.
An early drive by the Vale pack ended in a penalty being awarded to Vale and Gareth Price putting over a 35 yarder to give Vale the lead.
This was to be shortlived when the Caldy backs showed their paces and drove up the pitch and were duly awarded a penalty which the Caldy scrumhalf put through the middle of the posts.
The scrumhalf was a very speedy and elusive player and was proving to be thorn in the Vale’s side. Shortly afterwards he sped away with a few dummies and sidesteps to pop down under the posts. He duly converted his own try to put Caldy 10 – 3 up.
Gareth Price was to earn the referee’s displeasure and was given 10 minutes in the bin for something which was hard to understand from the sidelines. A few minutes after the card Caldy again moved upfield, the ball was moved swiftly left and the 6 went over for another try with the scrum half missing the conversion.
On 29 minutes after a good drive by the Vale forwards the Caldy Number 8 was carded and the ref waved Price back on in order that he could kick the resultant penalty.
With Ferguson and Farnworth leading from the front the pack were working admirably but when the ball was moved wide the Vale were very vulnerable because of the pace that Caldy had. On 36 minutes another excellent move by the Caldy backs with the 12 coming through on an excellent angle split the Vale defence from 50 metres out and he sailed under the posts to give the 9 an easy conversion.
Again the Vale pack drove downfield and in extra time at the end of the first half Price made it a hat-trick of penalties to make it 22 – 9 at half time.

Straight from the KO Vale gained possession and with the referee raising his arm to signify a penalty Vale’s last years Captain Kieran Doyle took a snap drop goal from 38 metres out for it sail over reducing the deficit.
On 44 minutes the Caldy 9 effectively made the game safe when his pace and elusive running took him over for a try under the posts which he converted.
Vale kept battling and were effective enough to take a couple of strikes against the head. Schuyler not just effective in the tight was also putting himself around the pitch, the scrums were being controlled by Andy Wilkinson at eight and overall the Vale pack were more than equals with the Caldy eight. The lineouts were the only facet where Caldy were superior. However, on 52 minutes Ferguson blotted his copybook and was sent for a 10 minute rest. This was to prove costly because a few minutes later the Caldy backs again received possession and a quick ball out saw the flyhalf dash over from 20 metres with the scrum half converting again.
A couple of minutes later with Vale still down to 14 men the scrumhalf proved elusive again and another 7 points were conceded by the Vale. It had been a costly sinbinning. This brought the score up to 43 – 12 with 20 minutes to go.
Vale didn’t crumble, the last 20 minutes belonged to them and with 10 minutes to go a determined Vale drive and quick ball out right, a good break by Rhoddri Bowen, a sharp pass to Laurence Beagley and the full back touched down. Gareth Price with an excellent kick added the extras and the last ten minutes ended with Vale hanging on with no substitutes available.
Caldy brought on the fresh legs but the Vale pack continued to deny the Caldy backs the ball they wanted to extend their lead.
Hopefully in the next few weeks more backs will become available. The pack is a match for all the teams they have met so far this season, but so far this season the A team has been beset by injuries as it seems, have most of the Vale teams.
Again no criticism of the Vale team, with players having to play out of position and a bare minimum who tried their hearts out and to hear the Caldy Coach say that it was the best set of backs they’d had out this season and were better than their 1st team will give Vale heart for future fixtures. The 9, usually in the first team, and 12 were quality backs, with the flyhalf not far behind. All were pacy and a problem for the Vale backs.
Referee Warren Hadlow was consistent in his decisions even though the crowd didn’t always agree with them.