Feature Match:

 

Saints storm to season’s first success

St Davids 23 - Llangwm 12

St Davids were able to celebrate their first success of the season as they won their basement battle against Llangwm and avenge a 52-13 defeat when the teams met at Pill Parks earlier in the campaign.

But the Saints were very much up for a powerful performance which delighted skipper Rhys ‘Loshin’ Price, playing alongside the likes of Ben Evans, Neil Thomas, Dan Murphy and Ollie Blackstone as ball winners that allowed Gethin Bateman, John Riley and Carl Evans to carry the ball well.

Outside half Jack Jones controlled play well and scored two tries as Craig Challonder also got on the scoresheet as Jones contributed a conversion and penalty to a 20-5 interval lead as winger Rhys Mason responded with a Llangwm try.

Mason also played well when he switched to scrum half so that Ollie Davies could take over the Wasps’ outside half slot and Andrew Brock claimed a second-half try which John Whitticombe converted before going off injured.

But with John Miles back for the Saints and using his at experience to good effect at full back, there were also useful performances from the fit-again Scott Riches, Aled Harries, Rhys Evans and Dafydd Williams in defence – and a second Challonder penalty ensured a win for the Saints.

Wasps’ team manager Richard Scriven was understandably disappointed with the result but was quick to praise the opposition, although he felt the Wasps were unlucky not to be awarded a try by Brock with ten minutes to go that would at least have secured a bonus point!

Jack Jones - two tries and 18 points in St Davids first win of the season

 
Swalec Cup:

 

Otters slammed by Drovers

Llandovery 82 - Narberth 11

Narberth supporters were left to wonder when their team had been beaten by such a huge margin as they were slammed by Premiership side Llandovery, who raced in for 12 tries.

The Otters were already 40-11 in arrears at the interval, having conceded six tries, five of them converted by James Garland, who went even better after the interval as he converted all six tries and the beleaguered Otters were unable to claim a single point.

Narberth had two penalties from No 10 Ianto Griffiths in the first half as Gareth Bateman scored an unconverted try but the absence of several key players, including lock Adam Clark and skipper Steve Martin, meant that they had to call on veteran three-quarter Nick Jones to help out.

Richard Williams, Richard Griffiths, Matthew Jacobs, Lee Rees (2) and Luke Lewis  scored tries for The Drovers before half time, with their second-half try scorers being James Garland, Craig Woodhall, Richard Williams, Sam Soul, Richard Brooks and Aeron Warren, with Garland finally amassing a personal haul of 27 points.

Division One (West):

Seasiders suffer another set-back

Ammanford 48 - Tenby United 5

**No further details available
 

Stephenson steers Borderers to victory

Whitland 6 - Gorseinon 5

Two penalties by James Stephenson were enough to edge Whitland to a welcome win over a Gorseinon team sitting just a place below them before the game started.

The Borderers had strong forward displays by Raff Williams, skipper Marc Jones and Jack Mason, again catching the eye despite getting out of his flu bed to play as part of a home pack which generally held the edge.

And it was those two penalties in the closing stages of a very keenly-contested first half that nudged the homesters into a 6-0 lead as both teams had half chances to score tries but lost possession at key moments, whilst winger Gareth James missed a couple of penalties for the visitors.

But it was Gorseinon who claimed what turned out to be only try of the match when No 8 Sean Heycocks was driven over the line but James was again off target with the conversion attempt, which certainly proved costly in the final analysis since both defences stood firm thereafter and the Borderers were just about good value for their fifth win in 11 starts.

Jack Mason - again man of the match for Whitland

Emlyn ease home against Preseli Men

Newcastle Emlyn 29 - Crymych 13

Crymych started well in their derby match with Newcastle Emlyn as two Sam Phillips penalties gave them early points as reward for a concerted forward effort.

But Emlyn took a single point lead into the second half, thanks to a try by scrum half Owain Powell which Llyr Jones converted.

The Preseli Men were still well in contention throughout the third quarter, despite conceding a try to Llyr Jones which he also converted, with a try from Nick Bevan, converted by Phillips reducing the deficit to a single point again.

Crymych had other chances which they were unable to take, however, and they paid a heavy price as Emlyn added further tries by Llyr Jones and Sion Leonard to go with a Jones’ conversion and Leonard penalty which saw second-placed Emlyn also gaining a bonus point for four tries whilst Crymych made the journey home without anything to show for their efforts in an absorbing clash.

 

Nick Bevan - scored Crymych's only try

 

Division Two (West):

 

Three on the trot for Teifisiders

Cardigan 28 Llandeilo 13

Cardigan celebrated three victories on the trot as they beat a Llandeilo side still seekingtheir first taste of success after now enduring ten losses in as many matches.

The Teifisiders had previously accounted for Haverfordwest and Tycroes and they were already 13-5 to the good at half time as they had first half unconverted tries by flanker Aled Meredith and outside half Llyr Tobias, who had opened their account with a well-struck penalty.

All Llandeilo could muster in return was a try by flanker Emyr Richards and they added a penalty by scrum half Gareth Jones and a try from No 8 Dan Thomas late in the match.

But by then Cardigan had played some quality rugby which saw Meredith claim his second score, with further tries by centre Emyr Harries and right winger Sion James rounding off the scoring so that the Teifisiders’ hardy band of supporters could celebrate their win hat-trick!

 

Aled Meredith - two tries for powerful Cardigan flanker

 

Blues beaten in second half

Hendy 25 - Haverfordwest 10

Haverfordwest twice took the lead in the first half against a Hendy side three places above them and were still level at half time as they played some positive rugby and certainly matched the home side in terms of possession and territory.

But, as in so many other games this campaign, the Blues lost their way after the oranges and had to endure a ninth defeat in 12 matches which drops them into the bottom two in the table.

With Jonathan Mason, Dan Miners and Ryan Banner leading by example up front it was second rower Banner who put the Blues ahead with an unconverted try before centre Gareth James levelled matters for Hendy.

Then strong-running centre Jon Venables put Haverfordwest back in front, only for James to slice through for his second unconverted try to level matters.

Having just 15 players in their squad certainly didn’t help the Blues’ cause and with uncontested scrums since they could muster only 15 players to travel, they found themselves under pressure in the second half and Hendy grabbed tries by No 8 Ashley Banfield, alongside others by Craig Bowen and Chris Wilding to set the seal on victory – leaving the Blues to reflect on what might have happened had they had something like a full squad!

Ryan Banner - scored for Haverfordwest in defeat

 

Division Three (West) B:

 

Scarlets win by a whisker

Pembroke 25 Neyland 24

Local derbies between Pembroke and Neyland are traditionally hard fought and this one at Crickmarren was no exception as the home side edged home by a single point.

 The Scarlets had won 15-11 in Neyland and the All Blacks might have felt hard done by at the end as talented young flay half Aaron James, who looks a real find, lined up the last-gasp conversion of Mathew Williams try but was unable to find the target.

Scrum half Elliott Thomas opened Pembroke’s account with a close-range try but teenager James dummied his way over for a Neyland try which he also converted.

But Pembroke lead 15-7 at the interval as No 8 Sam Smith powered his way over and then Dom Colman, playing in the unaccustomed position of second row, added their third from a concerted forward surge.

Colman added his second in similar circumstances for Pembroke but then Delme Bateman scored a good try for the All Blacks and No 10 James added the extra points and sliced through for an unconverted try to have his team trailing 20-19.

Sean Dalling set up a fifth Pembroke try as he raced through and supplied Barry John with the scoring pass.
Pembroke’s inability to land conversions might have cost them dearly as Mathew Williams belied his 42 years to power over for that late Neyland try – but the conversion failed and Pembroke heaved a collective sigh of relief!
 

Mariners maul Carmarthenshire Saints

St Clears 3 - Milford Haven 43

Milford Haven marched into second place in the table as they proved far too powerful for a St Clears’ side which had only lost 23-13 at The Observatory but were never able to match The Mariners up front in this tussle and paid the obvious price.

Milford were 22-3 ahead at the break and were already assured of a bonus point as centre Craig Thomas opened their account from a well-orchestrated move, winger Kern Cunningham scored his first try for the club, powerful centre Dean Matthews added a third score which Leigh Broome managed to convert and then Craig Thomas showed the pace which has served him so well as a winger for many years as he sped almost the full length of the pitch.

All St Clears could muster in return was a penalty from Chris Rodenhurst when the score stood at 10-0 but there was to be no further home points as The Mariners applied a tweezer grip on possession via their powerful pack in which Jonathan Coe almost scored their fifth but had the ball knocked out of his hands in the shadow of the posts.

But it mattered little because further second-half tries for Milford came via winger Lee Riley, No 10 Broome, and outstanding scrum half Dean McSparron, later voted man of the match, plus more points for Broome as he finally found his kicking boots!
 
Seagulls disappointed
Fishguard & Goodwick v Pembroke Dock Harlequins
** Match called off – the Quins unable to field a team!