Adam Collins on a typical burst for Neyland
Featured match:
Division Five (West):
Martin boosts Blacks in excellent local derby
Neyland 46 Llangwm 19
Steve Martin made a welcome return to local rugby with a hat-trick of tries for Neyland in their local derby against Llangwm, who played their part in an entertaining tussle where they were only 19-22 adrift at half time.
The Narberth skipper was testing out his long-term ligament injury with his home club and the All Blacks must have been delighted by their first league win of the campaign – but their joy was marred somewhat as full back Gregg Miller sustained a nasty leg injury and the popular sporting all-rounder was stretchered off and taken to hospital in an ambulance.
The All Blacks were 12-0 ahead almost before Llangwm got going as Richard Smith scored from an interception near half way, converted by Mark Riley, and then Martin put Delme Bateman in for a good try where Riley was unlucky to hit the post with his conversion.
Andrew Brock kicked his first penalty for the Wasps before Neyland captain Mark James ploughed over for a try, and Brock was again on target twice before converting an interception try by centre Will Beresford that took Llangwm back to within a point.
But there was still time for a powerful surge by Adam Collins that allowed Martin to score his first try and a f
ourth Brock penalty that saw the All Blacks 22-19 ahead at half time but with second use of the breeze and slope.
The second half was no less competitive but it was Neyland who claimed 24 points without reply as Martin cut through twice to show his class whilst Bateman added his second, created by Miller, who then scored a try of his own. Riley notched two more conversions to round off a good Neyland win, which was enjoyed by large crowds of spectators from both camps.
Gregg Miller on the attack before getting injured
Steve Martin scores his first try for Neyland against Llangwm
Championship Division:
Pooler are a push-over
Narberth 24 Pontypool 11
But the Otters more than matched a side once immortalised in song for its powerful front row, and rounded off the scoring in appropriate fashion as their pack jerked the Pooler eight back at a scrum five and No 8 Steffan Phillips claimed the push-over try that Ianto Griffiths converted to set the seal on victory.
Pontypool led 11-8 at the interval as Ellis Goodman scored their only try and there were two penalties for Neil Martin, whilst Ianto Griffiths kicked a penalty for the Otters and full back Johnny Morgan sped through from fully 70 metres to show how potent an attacking force he now is.
The second half showed what a good defence Narberth now have and three more Ianto Griffiths’ penalties took the Otters to a 17-11 lead – before Steffan Phillips and Co showed their pack power to earn them a cracking home win and a chance to leap-frog over Pooler in the league table.
Johnny Morgan - scored a great try for Narberth
Division One (West):
Crymych crash in second half
Kidwelly 24 Crymych 18
Crymych conspired to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory at Kidwelly as they deservedly led 18-0 at half time but allowed the homesters to stage a second-half recovery and leave the Preseli Men with just a bonus point.
Tries by left winger Nick Bevan and centre Carwyn Phillips, plus a conversion by Adam Phillips and a penalty each for Phillips and Dyfan Dafydd, had Crymych in control at the break.
Perhaps they relaxed but they paid a heavy price because tries by second row Richard Pearce and centre Andy Francis hauled them back into contention and 14 points from the accurate boot of Stuart Morris saw Kidwelly move into third slot in the section as a result of their second-half come-back.
Unlucky Borderers edged out by a single point
Cwmllynfell 7 Whitland 6
Whitland played really well as a team to push Cwmllynfell all the way but were edged out by a single point to lose for the fifth time in seven outings.
The first period was very tight as Cwmllynfell had a try from hooker Dylan Crump which Peter Thomas converted, whilst the Borderers went close on a few occasions as new hooker Daniel Evans and Matthew Clarke caught the eye up front, but only had a penalty from Nico Setaro to show for their efforts.
The second half was even tighter and a second Setaro penalty proved to be the only score, with the Borderers convinced they had scored a try from a forward drive but the referee was unsighted.
So Cwmllynfell took their fifth win in seven matches but Whitland at least had the consolation of a bonus point for their efforts throughout the match.
Division Three (West):
Seasiders lose 100% record
Tenby United 14 Tycroes 14
Tenby United finally lost their 100% record in Division Three (West) but at least they didn’t lose and are still three points clear after Penclawdd lost to third-placed Gorseinon.
It was always going to be a close-run battle against a side known for its pack power – and the teams shared 16 points in the first period as Lloyd Thomas dropped a goal for the Seasiders and centre Jack Guerreiro maintained his good form with another try.
Tycroes replied with a try by centre Scott Stevens and a penalty from full back Carwyn Richards, who added two more three-pointers in the second period.
Tenby lost three key players through injury, including skipper Chris James but two penalties from Lloyd Thomas earned them a share of the spoils after six wins on the trot.
Blues good value for a bonus point
Llandeilo 24 Haverfordwest 17
Haverfordwest again battled hard before going down to a narrow defeat, this time at Llandeilo, and were left to reflect on the fact that they started slowly and allowed the home side to establish an early 12-0 lead.
Hooker Gareth Morgan and outside half Celfyn Davies grabbed those early tries, with Davies converting the first, before the Blues settled and scored a good try of their own from new recruit Dewi Williams, previously with Milford Haven, converted by Ashley Sutton, before a Davies penalty put Llandeilo 15-7 ahead at half time.
Davies added further penalties either side of a successful kick by Ashley Sutton before the Blues were awarded a penalty try for a high tackle and Sutton added the extras.
But there wasn’t enough time for the Blues to make any further inroads into the deficit and so once again they had to settle for a bonus point for being within seven points of the opposition at the finish.
Too wet in Tumble
Tumble v Cardigan
Match postponed – waterlogged pitch
Division Four (West):
Mariners mauled in second half
Milford Haven 12 Hendy 40
Milford Haven competed well in the first half against a powerful Hendy side which used its experience to good effect as it played down the slope in the second half and claimed its sixth win in as many matches at the other end of the table to the Mariners, who are still seeking their first win.
Yet the Mariners did well in the first half as tries were scored by Tom Arnold and Rob Kingston, one of them converted.
No 8 Willie Russell opened the scoring for Hendy and Steffan Howells converted, with other tries coming from prop Ben Batcup, second row Jack Murray, winger Nathan Matthews, outside half Steffan Jones and Howells, who was also on target with another four conversions as Hendy stay just a point behind Gowerton at the head of the table.
Seagulls slam sorry Furnace
Fishguard & Goodwick 73 Furnace 0
Furnace arrived at The Moors with just 15 players and asking for uncontested scrums – and they paid the inevitable price as Fishguard & Goodwick ran in 11 tries, nine converted by veteran player/coach Huw Evans, and the Seagulls didn’t concede a single point so great was their superiority.
Leading the way for Fishguard with a brace of tries apiece were winger Sam Kurtz, second row Rhys Lewis and No 8 Simon James, with others coming along at regular intervals from scrum half Rhodri Morgans, flanker Kevin Ormond, centre Mike Jenkins, plus replacements Gareth Adamson and Steve Jenkins.
Huw Evans was delighted by his 18 points and co-coach Randall Williams was able to slip quietly back to a family wedding that he was in the process of attending!
Quins edged out in closing moments
Pembroke Dock Harlequins 22 Bynea 24
Pembroke Dock Harlequins had high hopes of a win over Bynea at Bierspool when they led 22-17 with just moments to go – but then the relaxed fatally for a moment and the visitors grabbed a second try by right winger Jack Morgans which Mark Davies goaled to restrict the Quins to just a bonus point when they might have had so much more.
The Quins started really well and were good value for an early lead as their lineout again worked well and they scored tries by centre Rhys Marchant, after a lovely pass by No 10 Charlie Berry, and skipper Barry Parsons, who was put through by Nathan Hearne, with Adam Cawley converting one.
But then Bynea scored two tries in the last eight minutes of the half from flanker Alex Kwam, who has been a thorn in the Quins’ flesh before, one converted by Mark Davies so that the teams shared 24 points at half time.
Morgans then scored his first try for Bynea and Cawley missed a Quins’ penalty before Berry sliced through for a smashing try which he converted to go with a penalty that left the Quins 22-17 ahead.
But then came Morgans’ second score and Davies’ conversion that pushed Bynea up the table to third place but left the Quins still in the bottom three at the same time.
Scarlets return to winning ways
Pembroke 30 St Clears 14
Pembroke showed that they had shrugged off the disappointment of defeat the previous week as they took charge of their home match with St Clears and picked up a bonus point as their reward.
The Scarlets were 13-6 ahead at half time as Darren Rees landed two penalties for the Carmarthenshire Saints and added a third to go with an unconverted try by Paul Emmanuel but it was Pembroke who held the whip hand as talented young centre Sean Dalling sped through for two tries and there were others from No 8 Jordan Gwilliam, scrum half James Skeels and replacement back row man Dom Colman.
Lewis Davies managed one conversion and a first-half penalty as The Scarlets celebrated a fourth win in five outings, whilst St Clears have now won half of their six matches.
Division Six (West):
Saints deny visitors a single point
St Davids 18 Llansawel 0
St Davids were good value for their home win over Llansawel as they ran in three tries and coach Finton Godkin must have been delighted by the fact that his team’s defence was so sound that it didn’t concede a single point.
The Saints took an early lead with a well-struck penalty from full back Craig Challonder and then busy flanker Jack Jones claimed their first try from a set-piece move at a scrum near half way.
Then centre Fraser Watson, playing on loan from Whitland, made a penetrating run from deep in his own half and when he was caught near the visitors’ try line he did well to pop the ball up for Geraint Morris to claim an unconverted try as reward for all his clever touches and support play.
The second half was error-strewn by both teams but the Saints managed the final word when they camped deep in Llansawel’s 22 and young No 8 Dafydd Williams did well to pick up and plough for the team’s third unconverted try.