The News Players and Family The boys in Bedlinog part I: the audacity of hope
| The boys in Bedlinog part I: the audacity of hope |
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| Written by Vic Drover | |
| Thursday, 29 January 2009 | |
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Bedlinog is a sleepy little village in the Merthyr Tydfil Valleys of South Eastern Wales. The village is comprised mainly of hard nosed, hard working miners and woodsmen and the way of life in this particular valley is no doubt reflected in the style of play that the Bedlinog Foxes bring to the field. The boys pride themselves on never missing a tackle, never shying away from a ruck and sacrificing their bodies for the betterment of the team. The Foxes have earned promotion for the last three years running and now have a firm hold on second place in Wales' Division II, a relatively elite level in a country that practically bleeds rugby. 
Singleton, Smith, Mattson
For the last month, Bedlinog has hosted two of Milwaukee's more adventurous Harlequins, Sir Craig R. Mattson, Esquire and
the self described rugby phenom Domonique Singleton. Mattson is an
experienced back-rower with movie star good looks and a running style
that can only be described as a cross between a Clydesdale and a tornado. Young
Singleton is a winger/fullback with more speed than a crack dealer.
Despite their enormous egos, the local residents have welcomed the boys
with open arms and full pints. The Foxes go to extraordinary lengths to
make sure Craig and Dom want for nothing and thus the boys could not
have ended up in a better place.
On Saturday, a rain soaked pitch covered in no less than three inches of mud and muck welcomed the Foxes Developmental squad (including Craig & Dom) and their opponents, the boys from nearby Abercrwmboi (pronounced Aber-crom-boy). The conditions were hardly ideal for a high scoring affair or for many highlight-reel-quality plays. However, the boys from the Brew City did not disappoint the assembled crowd of not less than 9 fans. Mattson started the show off by bringing down the opposition fly-half in his own try area. This resulted in a five meter scrum and eventually Bedlinog's first score of the day. 
Mattson rests after the
pre-match warm-up
The rain
continued to fall as the match progressed making the typical evasive
maneuvers of the offense next to impossible. ‘The Clydesdale’ Mattson,
a pure-bred mudder (his mother was a mudder), reveled in the greasy
conditions and tackled relentlessly. For some
reason, Abercrwmboi insisted on testing him on the blindside but
eventually abandoned the plan after having to re-attach their 8-man's
head.
Perhaps the only player on the field that did not seem affected by the ankle deep slop was the outside burner Dom Singleton. Time and again the young lad shoulder faked his way through the green and white striped mess that was Aber, oftentimes making them look foolish in the process. Following the interval, the Milwaukee speedster was on an offensive tear eventually touching down against the post. Unfortunately the Sir for the day, being no different from anyone else on the field, could not keep up with Dom and was in no position to make the correct call and opted for a five meter scrum. Due to strong forward play and the general handsomeness of Mattson, the ball eventually went over for 5. All in all it was a solid performance for the Foxes who came away with a well deserved 27-11 victory with both of the Americans representing themselves and their countrymen in fine form.
Currently, Dom and Craig are starting
for the Developmental Side and stand a decent chance at being selected
into the first XV's for this Saturday's match. Needless to say, Dom
and Craig have had to work (and drink) hard for this opportunity and
hope to be playing with the first XVs. |
