With as many as seven players unavailable, for a variety of reasons, from the previous Saturday, it was a much changed Dinas Powis team that made the long trip to Aberdare, to take on a usually strong Harlequins team, for their third league game of the season.
Despite the changes in personnel and positions Dinas chartered their way through the first third of the match well, and after seven ends the score was very close, at 26-25 to the home team, with nothing in any of the four rinks.
Indeed through the middle third of the game three of the Dinas rinks continued to keep up the tempo, with Clive Todd's rink tied at 10 apiece, Mike Ackland just two behind at 13-15 and Ritchie Janes three down at 13-16. Unfortunately for the villagers Gareth Griffith's quintet had a horrible run, dropping 16 shots, including a seven on end 11, as they fell away to trail by 15 shots at 5-20.
With the home team scenting blood they stepped up the pace and sadly Dinas were unable to find the desired response. Janes and Ackland kept their rinks in contention, before slipping to defeat by five and six shots respectively. Clive Todd's rink, who lead 11-10 after 15 ends, dropped away to lose by 10 and Griffiths' rink just didn't recover, dropping a further six shots on end 15 before plummeting to a disappointing 9-33 defeat.
Captain Dave Parker will no doubt hope to have a fuller roster to pick from next Saturday, 4th July, when Dinas face a tricky away trip to Skewen in Round 2 of the Carruthers Shield.
D.James, M.Gershenson, A.Harvey, C.Todd (14-24) J.Ackland, A.Locker, D.Vowles, M.Ackland (16-22) J.Coles, C.Scott, M.Edwards, R.Janes (18-23) D.Parker, P.Marks, C.Parsons, G.Griffiths (9-33)