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Welsh rugby clubs head off 'ultimate fixture clash' which would have seen them forced to play two games on same day

Two Welsh rugby clubs have been spared the ultimate fixture clash that would have seen them each have to play two matches on the same day.

Morriston RFC and Pontarddulais RFC were due to meet in the Silver Ball final at Llanharan on May 13.

But they also have league matches on the same day, with Morriston booked for an away encounter against Builth Wells in Division Two West Central and Pontarddulais scheduled to travel to Mumbles in Division Two West.

Morriston put out a social media post just days ago saying: “Incredibly on May 13th we have a league game (first v second) and Silver Ball final on the same day. Work that one out??”

Read more: 'Unsustainable!' Welsh rugby club hit out after playing 'just one home league game since October'

Flexibility was hard to find, but Silver Ball organisers have now moved the final back to Wednesday, May 24, with Tata Steel the new venue.

“We got there in the end,” said Glamorgan County RFC president Howard Jones. “It took a lot of doing and we have had to change grounds for the final, but the key thing was the game would take place. We were determined the match would go ahead somehow.”

Morriston, whose assistant coach is former Wales fly-half Arwel Thomas, still find themselves facing a nightmare fixture glut , with the club having played two matches in as many days this week and three games over five days. You can read here how a big semi-final had to be settled by a toss of a coin amid an 'impossible' fixture situation.

“It’s been like this for a few weeks,” said team manager Hugh Lewis. “Our resources have been stretched, but it’s been a case of hands on deck and everyone doing their bit.

“I guess you could say we’ve been victims of our own success, with the club having a lot of cup games this year as we’ve made progress in a number of competitions, including the WRU Division Two Cup, which we won.

“And we are doing well in the league. What we didn’t want was to devalue the Silver Ball by sending a weakened team over for a final. It’s a prestigious competition and ourselves and Pontarddulais want to do it justice.

“Thankfully, this change has sorted out the problem."

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