A family of four made rugby league history in Cwmbran on Saturday when father and son took on mother and daughter in a Wales Rugby League Wheelchair Invitational League match writes Ian Golden.
Paul Sargent and his son Lee, both Wales internationals, lined up for eventual 62-34 winners Torfaen Tigers, with former Wales head coach Alana Sargent and daughter Libbie playing for Cardiff Blue Dragons.
All four started the game with Lee giving Torfaen an early lead with a try and goal. Paul quickly followed him over for a second try before Ireland international Darren Dowey added the third try with Lee converting again.
Cardiff soon hit back through two Charlie Puddick tries. Alec Martin converted the first.
Lee went over for his hat-trick on 23 minutes, but Cardiff scored again with a Robert Carpenter try.
Just before the interval, Leighton Morris scored Torfaen’s fifth try to put the half-time score on 24-14.
Dowey quickly added his second of the game just after the interval with Lee converting before adding another three more tries of his own and converting the first to put the score onto 44-14.
Cardiff did get a try back, and they kept it in the family with Libbie Sargent scoring in the corner. Carpenter, who is also a Wales PDRL international, converted.
Martin got Cardiff further back into the game after chasing his own kick to score. Carpenter converted before adding a penalty.
Torfaen brought up the 50 when Lee scored his sixth try and landed his fifth goal. Dowey then secured his hat-trick, scoring twice in succession, and Lee converted both.
Sister Libbie wasn’t to be denied another score, scoring an excellent try right at the end with Carpenter converting.
In the second Wheelchair match of the day at Cwmbran, Argonauts from Kent maintained their one hundred percent record after beating North Wales Crusaders 60-34 writes Mat Morris-Parker.
Crusaders started well, scoring two quick tries with Jakub Wasieczko and Martin Turner both going over. Stephen Halsey converted both.
Argonauts hit back through a Fred Nye try that Rick Rodgers converted, before Halsey extended Crusaders’ lead with a try and goal that gave them an 18-6 lead on 20 minutes.
Then Argonauts took control of the game, scoring eight tries without reply in the next 40 minutes to have the encounter won by the hour mark.
Nye was the first over, and he’d added another two tries before this spell was over. Peter Johnston scored two tries on the bounce just before half-time and added four goals. Keiron Hammond got a brace and Richard Carver also added one. Rick Rodgers’ conversion on 60 minutes made the score 50-18.
Crusaders then managed to get a couple of scores back. First Jess Booth on 23 minutes, then Stephen Halsey six minutes later. Halsey’s two conversions brought the score back to 50-30.
A Peter Johnston try slightly lengthened Argonauts’ lead before Mason Baker brought the gap back to 20, with Matthew Turner converting.
But it was Argonauts and the impressive Nye who had the last say. He scored with five minutes remaining and Rob Cooper converted.