Tredegar still rooted to the bottom

Tredegar's Division One East campaign couldn’t come to an end quick enough following yet another defeat, this time at mid-table Beddau.

The visitors had won just once in the league going into the game and despite only trailing 16-7 at the interval they folded in the second-half as Beddau secured a bonus point.

Fly-half Cameron Pimlow was in try-scoring form for Beddau, crossing twice, while flanker Rhys Watkins, wing Garan Pearce and No 8 Abraham Papii also got in on the act as the hosts moved to sixth in the table.

The only moment of joy for the Tredegar fans in the 37-7 reverse was Christian Jones’s try which was converted by namesake Richard.

In Three East, Pontypool United threw a spanner in the works of Garndiffaith’s title hopes with a 25-11 triumph over the leaders at the Memorial Ground. The success pushed Pontypool to third, level on points with Pill Harriers.

Richard Jones got Pontypool’s sole try against Garndiffaith with the rest of the points coming from the boot of Morgan West and Darryl Carter.

Oakdale crossed five times in their 44-24 victory at Blaina in Four East with David Fortune bagging two. Adam Johnson, Stuart Smith and Brett Turner were the other players to get on the scoresheet for the away side.

Liam Crandon converted all five and kicked three penalties but credit must go to bottom club Blaina for earning a bonus point themselves for scoring four tries.

There was something of an upset further up the Four East table as New Tredegar won 24-13 at third-placed Blaenavon. Centre Ricky Hawkins, wing Gavin Stockman, scrum-half Josh Matthews and prop Julian Willets were all on target for the Rhymney Valley club.

Tycroes took over top spot from Penlan in Five South West with a bonus-point victory at home to Gowerton. Andrew Burden got the visitors’ points with Tristan Morgan touching down twice for the new leaders. Their other scores came through Gareth Jones and a penalty try.

The battle of the bottom two in Five East saw Crumlin run in five tries to beat Pontllanfraith 45-20 and move off the foot of the table. Craig Hamer, Aaron Farmer, Kristian Perry, Jordan Richards and Corey Strickland did the damage for Crumlin.

In Five South East, Canton were far too good for struggling Ferndale and cantered home to a nine-try 58-17 hammering. Peter Hughes, Martin Ridley and Richard Kemble all crossed the whitewash twice while Nathan Palmer, Luke Radford and Luke Regan also scored tries.

Blaenau, bottom of Six West, lost 28-14 to Pantyffynon at home but the visitors couldn’t quite manage the extra bonus point.

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Lakeside elite go through, Roberts champ at Carmarthen

JASON Thomas is the number one ranked golfer and the man to beat going into the next stage of the Winter League at Lakeside this weekend.

Thomas’s second place in the last event of the regular season saw him climb to the top of the overall standings, his total of 462 points being one better than Nigel Howell.

The best 12 players now go through to compete for a place in the final six next weekend which is followed by the competition’s big climax seven days later between the three men left standing.

As well as Thomas and Howell, who were some way clear of the rest of the field after the last event, Gary Tamlyn and DJ Williams are also through to this weekend. Both accumulated 440 points when their best 12 scores of the season were taken into account.

Bob Davies, James Matthewman and Martin Evans, who pipped Thomas by one point to take victory last weekend, are safely into the next round as is club captain Paul Jenkins. The remaining places are taken up by Ceri Windos, Paul Thomas, Steve Kirkhouse and Brian Channell.

A third-place finish in the sixth and final round of the Carmarthen Winter League was good enough to give Eirwyn Roberts the overall title.

Roberts was a clear winner of the winter competition, ending the season nine points clear of runner-up Paul Davies in the final standings. Berian Jones made up the top three.

Having fallen behind his closest rivals by failing to pick up any points in the penultimate round, Roberts knew he needed a good score in the last outing to claim the overall crown – and that’s exactly what he did.

The best score of the day went to Simon Barratt with 40 stableford points, two ahead of second-placed Mick Fenney, with Roberts third on countback.

And when it came down to determining the champion, Roberts’s best four points totals from the six rounds of play were better than anyone else. He registered 54 points to take the title with Davies a clear second on 45 and Jones back on 42.

Ian Elias was fourth with 38, Tony Fairlamb fifth on 35 and Martin Augur was sixth with 32 points.

The winner of the supplementary competition, with the best three actual stableford scores over the six rounds, was Jeff Harries with 110 points. He just edged out Alan Williams (108) while Stewart Evans was a point further back on 107.

The Ladies’ section of the Winter League produced a nail-biting finish with junior Lowri Thomas taking overall victory with 37 points, just one ahead of both Elin Jones and Jean Barratt on 36. Jones secured the runners-up spot by having the better overall stableford scores.

With lots of golfers hitting form early in the season, the Duxberry Shield in a couple of weeks should be a closely fought affair.

Swansea Bay’s Club Medal was keenly contested with a three-way tie for first being decided on countback. After carding rounds of 66, Lance Heycock edged out Les Evans and Bill Waddell while Billy James shaded the Club Stableford ahead of Roger Williams and Bryan Ashford.

Only two points separated the first three pairs home in the 4-Ball Better Ball at Langland Bay with Julian Mullins and Paul Griffiths taking top prize on 45 points. Sam Hixson and Anthony Thomas scored 44 with Dave Gibson and Mike Payne on 43.

In the Ladies’ Sunday Stableford at Pennard, Holly Crowley took the honours in the silver division with 38 points and Heather Cooper did likewise with 33 in the bronze division. Moira Thomas won Tuesday’s silver division event with 37 and Cynthia Williams went two better to claim the bronze division crown.

Dan Evans came home with an excellent score of 42 points to win the latest Leon Warne Order of Merit event at The Grove. Craig Jones, with 38, nabbed second on countback ahead of Ged Rave.

Rave’s third place came after he had finished second in the previous week’s competition, one point behind winner Paul Wilson and one in front of Ray Slocombe.

Results

CARMARTHEN: Winter League; S. Barratt 40pts, 2. M. Fenney 38pts, 3. E. Roberts 38pts

LAKESIDE: Winter League; 1. M. Evans 42pts, 2. J. Thomas 41pts, 3. S. Kirkhouse 40pts

LANGLAND BAY: 4BBB Saturday Stableford; 1. J. Mullins & P. Griffiths 45pts, 2. S. Hixson & A. Thomas 44pts, 3. D. Gibson & M. Payne 43pts

PENNARD: Ladies’ Sunday Stableford; (silver div) 1. H. Crowley 38pts, 2. H. Jennings 34pts, (bronze div) 1. H. Cooper 33pts, 2. J. Edwards 32pts

Ladies’ Tuesday Stableford; (silver div) 1. M. Thomas 37pts, 2. G. Edwards 37pts, (bronze div) 1. C. Williams 39pts, 2. H. Davies 38pts

SWANSEA BAY: Thursday Stableford; 1. G. Lewis 42pts, 2. S. Evans 40pts, 3. B. Dobson 40pts

Club Medal; 1. L. Heycock 80-14=66, 2. L. Evans 79-13=66, 3. B. Waddell 81-15=66

Club Stableford; 1. B. James 42pts, 2. R. Williams 41pts, 3. B. Ashford 41pts

THE GROVE: Leon Warne Order of Merit; 1. D. Evans 42pts, 2. C. Jones 38pts, 3. G. Rave 38pts

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Big achievements for Frazer and Llewellyn

PENNARD’S James Frazer is the only survivor from Wales’s 2011 European Nations Cup campaign to feature in the squad for this year’s tournament next week.

Frazer, who defends his Duncan Putter crown at Southerndown next month, is joined by Joe Vickery, Welsh champion Jason Shufflebotham and Welsh boys’ champion David Boote for the event at Sotogrande in Spain.

Europe’s best amateurs will do battle from March 21-24 with Wales hoping to improve on last year’s eighth place and England looking for a fourth successive title.

This will be Frazer’s fourth Nations Cup appearance in four years, during which time Wales have also finished fifth and sixth.

Because of Curtis Cup commitments, Wales will not be sending a women's team to the Ladies' European Nations Cup.

Former World Cup winner and Golf Union of Wales coach David Llewellyn has become the West Region PGA Professional of the Year.

The 60-year-old’s playing and coaching achievements were recognized at an awards ceremony held before the West Region’s AGM at Woodbury Park.

Llewellyn, recently awarded honorary membership of the PGA, played on the European Tour for nine years, winning 13 titles across the globe and captaining the PGA against the USA in 2000.

The veteran also took part in four World Cups for Wales with his greatest moment coming in 1987 when he and Ian Woosnam clinched first prize in Hawaii.

Now an instructor at the Vale Resort just outside Cardiff, Llewellyn’s coaching commitments overseas prevented him from accepting the award in person. The Vale’s director of golf, Clive Coombs, picked it up on his behalf.

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Winter League braced for thrilling finale

THE race to make the Cock of the North final at Tredegar & Rhymney is set for an exciting finish with both leading pairs feeling the pressure in the latest round of league matches.

In division one, John Davies and Leon Hillman were beaten for only the second time this season, while in division two Mike Shepherd and Glenn Trigg had to settle for a draw with just two points separating the top three teams.

Davies and Hillman lost to Darren Sullivan and Mike Sutton, who are tied for third themselves, and now sit level on 22 points overall alongside Mark Davies and Gwyn Board.

They actually missed out on the chance to take over the lead from Davies and Hillman after being held to a draw by Neil Davies and Glyn Jones.

With two rounds left before the top pair in each division playoff for the Cock of the North title, that failure to take advantage of Davies and Hillman’s setback could yet come back to haunt Davies and Board.

It’s still likely to be a two-horse race in division one, though Gareth Owen and Sean Scannell, who share third with Sullivan and Sutton on 19 points, will be left wondering what might have been after they were humbled by Mike Russell and Sean Thomas.

Three pairs have a mathematical chance of claiming top spot in division two with Nick Watkins and Alan Borja cutting Shepherd and Trigg’s lead to one point with victory over John and Roy Jones. David Dennehy and Will Price are a further point behind Watkins and Borja on 22.

However, unlike division one, there is only one round of fixtures left in the second division, so Shepherd and Trigg are in pole position though they could still be caught. Trigg was indebted to his teammate last time out as Shepherd had to play without his partner who was unavailable.

There was no Winter League action at Wernddu this week, instead the club held a stableford competition which was won by Steve Johnson with 44 points. Alan Howells was second on 41 and Mike Colling was third with 40 points.

Llanwern overcame stiff opposition from a strong Newport team to win their Daily Mail Foursomes clash by three matches to two.

The hosts’ Tony Lewis defeated Newport’s Julian Sansom by one hole before Declan Ryan levelled the tie with a 2&1 victory over Jonathan Davidson.

Llanwern’s Jack Davidson defeated Stuart Westly, a former champion at both clubs, 3&2 but back came Newport again and Daniel King beat Richard Taylor by the same score. However, the home club’s Gareth Ottewell got the better of Andrew Williams 3&2 to seal the win.

Results

Monmouth

Sunday Stableford; (div one) 1. S. Williams 42pts, 2. B. Hapgood 41pts, 3. S. Spary 37pts, (div two) 1. N. Hollingsbess 38pts, 2. R. Whitehouse 38pts, 3. S. Meredith 37pts

Pontypool

18-hole Stableford; (0-14 Hcp) 1. A. Manley 40pts, 2. M. Roden 39pts, 3. J. Lewis 37pts, (15-28 Hcp) 1. J. Rogers 43pts, 2. P. Richards 42pts, 3. S. Johnson 41pts

Wernddu

Club Stableford; 1. S. Johnson 44pts, 2. A. Howells 41pts, 3. M. Colling 40pts

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David Williams's Welsh Boxing Blog - No. 7

YOU wait a few months for a big fight involving a Welsh boxer then four or five come along at once.

This weekend is the second of three in the space of four weeks where a fighter from Wales will be contesting a title contest at European level or higher.

This Saturday it’s the turn of Merthyr middleweight Kerry Hope, who faces the daunting task of trying to inflict the first defeat of European champion Grzegorz Proksa’s career.

Hope is as big as 20-1 with some bookmakers to do that while Proksa is a massive favourite at 50-1 on with the likes of Bet365.

Of the big title fights featuring Welshmen since the end of last month, when Nathan Cleverly defended his WBO strap, and the end of this month, this one is arguably the least likely to produce a win for the Red Dragon.

There’s no doubt Hope is hungry. At 30, he doesn’t have many chances like this left and given that the opportunity came as somewhat of a surprise, if the Pole has underestimated him then he could have a sniff of turning the form book upside down.

To stand any chance of springing a major shock, Hope would have to produce the fight of his life while Proksa would need to have a major off night at Sheffield’s Motorpoint Arena.

But Hope only has to look at his fellow countrymen for inspiration.

As well as Cleverly, Robbie Turley picked up silverware recently by claiming the vacant Celtic super-bantamweight belt and there is a lot more to come from the principality’s top pugilists.

Next weekend is another huge one for the sport in Wales with two men, Enzo Maccarinelli and Gary Buckland, in British championship action across the border.

Maccarinelli challenges British cruiserweight king Shane McPhilbin in Wolverhampton on Friday and 24 hours later, just a few miles up the road, Buckland makes the first defence of his British super-featherweight crown against Paul Truscott, again in Sheffield.

Not only that, but Gavin Rees hops over the English Channel on Friday to step into the lion’s den in Paris where Frenchman Anthony Mezaache bids to wrestle the Welshman’s European lightweight belt from him.

I’m tipping all three - Maccarinelli, Buckland and Rees - to triumph though it’s difficult to see Hope doing the same.

Some of Wales’s up and coming fighters take centre stage in Newport this Saturday. Unbeaten Frankie Borg’s battle with Luke Osman for the vacant British Masters middleweight is title the main attraction.

Newport super-middle Lewis Patterson makes his debut against Joe Jones while Gareth Piper is also in action after more than a year out.

Upcoming title fights involving Welsh boxers;

March 17 – Grzegorz Proksa v KERRY HOPE (European middleweight title) at Motorpoint Arena, Sheffield

LUKE OSMAN v FRANKIE BORG (vacant British Masters middleweight title) at Newport Centre, Newport

March 23 – Shane McPhilbin v ENZO MACCARINELLI (British cruiserweight title) at Civic Hall, Wolverhampton

GAVIN REES v Anthony Mezaache (European lightweight title) at Clichy la Garenne, Paris, France

March 24 – GARY BUCKLAND v Paul Truscott (British super-featherweight title) at Ponds Forge Arena, Sheffield

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Friday night’s Premiership Predictions

Aberavon v Tonmawr

The Wizards will be out to avoid a third defeat on the spin and should have no problem in seeing off Tonmawr at the Talbot Athletic Ground. Their last two reverses have seen Aberavon pick up losing bonus points but they would have expected to get more from the trip to Cardiff.

Verdict – Aberavon by 20 points

Llandovery v Llanelli

A huge clash at Church Bank sees the two West Wales rivals go head-to-head, both on the back of away victories last time out. A win for the Drovers could see them go top while victory for the Scarlets would put them right in contention.

Verdict – Llandovery by five points

Neath v Cross Keys

The game of the night takes place at The Gnoll with Neath aiming to stay top of the Premiership and Keys bidding to go top at the expense of their hosts. Keys are on fire right now, chasing silverware on three fronts, and they smashed Newport on Sunday. Neath won the reverse fixture only last month but can expect an even tougher task this time around.

Verdict – Cross Keys by six points

Pontypridd v Bridgend

This is a must win for Pontypridd as if they’re not careful they could get left behind in the chase for the top three. It’s a first home league game since early January and with Bridgend having very little to play for the win shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

Verdict – Pontypridd by 10 points

Swansea v Pontypool

Both teams in this one have just pride left to play for this season. It says a great deal about their campaigns that pretty much the only thing Swansea and Pontypool can achieve is not being the club that finishes next to Tonmawr in the table.

Verdict – Swansea by eight points

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Long-awaited return home for Pontypridd

PONTYPRIDD return to the home comforts of Sardis Road on Friday night for their first league match at the ‘House of Pain’ since the turn of the year.

And head coach Dale McIntosh is eager to give the Pontypridd fans something to cheer about, even more so as the valleys club has slipped to seventh in the Premiership.

With matches running out, McIntosh’s men, who lost in the grand final last season, know they have to up their game if they want to cement a top three finish this time around.

Only 11 points separate Pontypridd and leaders Neath but the former must win their matches in hand if they are to challenge for the big prize this season.

“There’s no need for an immediate panic but there is an immediate need to focus on winning games,” said McIntosh. “We need to start closing games down when we are ahead and playing well, to seal the coffin lid on our opponents.

“We haven’t been doing that and only have ourselves to blame.

“A lot of effort went into the performance at Newport (when they lost 24-15) but we made poor decisions in key positions at crucial times.

“We are a good side, we showed that in abundance on the night with some phenomenal statistics in our favour, but we lost the game and that should not happen.”

The Pontypridd supporters will expect their side to get back to winning ways after the disappointment of Rodney Parade and McIntosh is looking for his players to turn on the style.

“We are training really well and there is a self-belief amongst the squad, a feel-good factor that we need to transfer into our match days,” he added.

“We do have games in hand over all teams above us in the league but those games are there to be won. A home tie against Bridgend on Friday will be an ideal opportunity to start putting things right.

“We need to find consistency in that game, to win in style in front of our own supporters.”

*It’s understood that all 12 clubs in next season’s Welsh Premiership will take part in the 2012/13 British & Irish Cup.

A new-look competition will also feature 12 English sides as well as four Scottish and four Irish clubs although whether it reverts to a straight knockout format isn’t yet known.

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King looking forward to Georgia test

SCHOOL teacher and Principality Premiership XV head coach Simon King has laid down the rulebook ahead of the match against a Georgia International XV on March 27 at Bridgend’s Brewery Field.

King, along with coaches Greg Woods and Lyndon Lewis, has held the first training session ahead of the historic fixture and set the players with areas to work before the squad is finalised.

“Being a teacher I’ve left the players with some homework to do ahead of next week’s session and how well they do will certainly have an impact on final selection,” said King.

“It was a very competitive session, we were impressed with what we saw and we will be building on that next prior to final selection. This is a great opportunity to show the Principality Premiership in a positive light - the players certainly know it’s going to be hard work but we are all looking forward to the challenge.”

King will be doing some homework of his own in the lead-up to the match adding: “Georgia play Russia on March 15, and I’ve already spoken to Kingsley Jones (Russia head coach) to help us prepare for the match.

“A lot of the Georgian players ply their trade in the French leagues so it will be a formidable challenge but we also have analysts looking at the side and their players for us.

“Most of the Premiership clubs were well represented (at the training session), and along with the players, this is also a great opportunity to develop young coaches. Along with coaches Lyndon (Lewis) and Greg (Woods), Kevin Ellis is the conditioner and Wayne Hall is team manager.

“On a personal note, I’m looking forward being part of an international set-up again too after my Under 21 and Under 18 days.”

After leaving Bridgend, the Georgia International XV head north to play RGC 1404 at Eirias, Colwyn Bay, on March 31 (7.30pm).

WRU Head of Rugby Joe Lydon added: “The Principality Premiership is a vital part of the game in Wales and I’m delighted we’ve been able to secure these fixtures against such strong opposition.

“The coaches are all of a proven track record and we know they will be able to select a talented and determined team capable of putting on a strong performance, against such excellent opposition as a Georgian international team and the North Wales representative side.

“This will be an opportunity for supporters of the Principality Premiership to come out and support their players and show what this division means to them.”

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Steelmen boost championship hopes

THE yawning chasm between top and bottom in Division One East got even bigger last weekend as leaders Ebbw Vale tightened their grip on first place with a 35-3 trouncing of Blackwood.

The Steelmen’s five-try display opened up clear daylight between them and second-placed Bargoed, who are now eight points behind the Eugene Cross Park outfit.

Contrastingly, at the other end of the table, last Friday was another bad day at the office for lowly Tredegar, who suffered their 15th reverse of the season with a 15-3 home defeat to Treorchy.

Their only points came courtesy of a Greg Jones penalty in the first-half, but that was bettered by a Celyn Ashton three-pointer and a Stan Lazarus try for the visitors.

In fairness to Tredegar, they weren’t totally outplayed by the Zebras, who added a converted try after the break. Gareth Fear touched down and Ashton added the extras.

Tredegar’s plight had been made to look even worse in midweek when Glamorgan Wanderers, the team above them in the table, produced a shock 22-16 win at fourth-placed Gilfach Goch.

Ebbw, meanwhile, did trail to an Adam Jones penalty at Blackwood on Sunday but had the match and bonus point sewn up by the interval with Nicky Coughlin, Gareth James, Ashley Sweet and Wes Cunliffe crossing.

A penalty try after the break wrapped up the away win for Ebbw, however, they did lose centre Tom Macpherson to a serious leg injury in the first-half.

Kenfig Hill boosted their status as Division Two West leaders with a 28-16 success against Loughor, outscoring their opponents by three tries to two.

Centre Nicky Morgan got two of Kenfig Hill’s tries with second row Ben Jones bagging the other. Kicker Nicky Giles was also on target, slotting two conversions and three penalties as his side moved eight points clear of Glynneath in second.

Sam George and Simon Stonham touched down for Loughor and Andrew Williams added two penalties as the visitors saw their three-match unbeaten run come to an end.

Tries by Andrew Jenkins, Gavin Jones and Rob Silcox helped Penallta win 22-15 at Rhymney and maintain the pressure on Ystrad Rhondda at the top of Division Two East. Ian Barnes and Simon Parry replied with tries for the Brewers but despite picking up a losing bonus point, they stay bottom of the table.

In Division Three East, Newport HSOB registered their fourth league win in succession with a 25-15 defeat of Croesyceiliog, who have now lost three on the bounce. And the Old Boys triumphed thanks to the accuracy of Will Edwards.

The talented back, who can play either at full-back or fly-half, was on target with six penalties and a conversion to inspire his side to victory. Ross Richmond was the try scorer for the Old Boys while Edwards’s Croesyceiliog namesake Matthew wasn’t far behind in the kicking stakes.

He knocked over five penalties of his own but in the end the hosts couldn’t breach the opposition try line.

Abercarn surged to the top of Division Four East, overtaking former leaders Cardiff Quins with a five-try triumph at Chepstow. All of the tries came from different scorers and Jason Evans kicked 16 points to seal a comfortable win.

For the record, Joe Copling, Gareth Peebles, Jack Davies, Rhys Jenkins and Joe MacDonald bagged tries as Abercarn leapfrogged the Quins to lead the division by two points, though the clubs immediately below them have games in hand.

Only a last-minute try saved Cefn Cribbwr’s blushes at struggling Banwen in Division Five South Central with Stuart Curl’s effort rescuing victory for the side currently in second place.

The home side gave everything throughout the encounter and looked good for just their fifth league victory of the season when Leighton Llewellyn kicked two penalties and converted a penalty try.

But, with time ticking away, Curl broke Banwen hearts when he crossed the whitewash, adding to Richard Brock’s try and Gareth Lewis’s points from the boot.

Treherbert are now breathing down the necks of Abertysswg in Division Five South East following a 14-6 success in the Rhondda. Josh Morris and Gavin Lazarus scored the hosts’ two tries while the Falcons could only muster two penalties.

In the same division, St Albans edged out Ferndale 10-7, Stuart Kennedy grabbing a try for the latter with Dan Phillips converting.

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Neath win but see their lead cut

PREMIERSHIP leaders Neath saw their slender advantage at the summit cut to a single point despite securing a 20-11 win at Pontypool on Friday night.

While Neath were winning at Pontypool Park, Carmarthen Quins were romping to a bonus-point victory at home against Tonmawr.

That extra point was enough to move Quins into second place with half-a-dozen points separating the top six clubs.

Llandovery, Llanelli and Cross Keys also picked up wins but all Aberavon could manage was a losing bonus point against Cardiff and Pontypridd in seventh lost to a resurgent Newport.

A penalty and try by Dai Langdon gave Neath a slender first-half advantage at Pontypool Park before further scores from scrum-half Tom James and wing Kevin James put them out of sight.

The hosts did recover with Dale Critchley touching down and Tom Hancock kicking two penalties but it was too little, too late for Pooler.

Dan Evans and Rhys Thomas each grabbed a brace of tries and Aled Thomas kicked all seven conversions as Tonmawr were put to the sword at Carmarthen Park.

Quins led 21-0 at the break with Evans and Thomas getting their first scores and Alex Pickersgill the third on the half hour. Four more tries followed in the second-half as the hosts just missed hitting the half-century.

Sion Bennett and James Davies got on the scoresheet with Thomas and Evans crossing for a second time to complete a 49-0 romp.

It was much closer at the Brewery Field where hosts Bridgend entertained Llandovery. By the end of the game it was the visiting Drovers who were celebrating a 17-3 success courtesy of tries from Mike Evans, Lee Rees and Owen Evans.

Llandovery are now just two points adrift of Neath and one behind Quins.

A late Howard Thomas try salvaged a losing bonus point for Aberavon on their otherwise fruitless trip to the Arms Park. Cardiff won 20-16 with a Rory Watts-Jones try in the first-half followed by a Shaun Powell touch down in the second.

Scott Sneddon and Rhys Patchell kicked Cardiff’s other points while Jamie Davies did likewise for Aberavon.

Aberavon’s slip-up allowed Llanelli to go level with them on 62 points after they edged past Bedwas 21-19 at Bridge Field. Justin James crossed twice for the Scarlets in a match which saw the hosts stage a stirring comeback in the second period.

They rallied from 14-9 down to lead 19-14 with a superb try finished off by No 8 Deri Mattravers but with fly-half Richard Powell missing an easy kick from virtually in front of the posts, you could sense it wasn’t going to be their day.

And that proved the case when James burrowed over and Diggy Bird slotted the conversion.

Pontypridd lost ground on the top six with a disappointing 24-15 loss at Newport. The Black and Ambers led 17-3 at half-time thanks to tries from Hywel Stoddart and Adam Frampton.

The away side fought back with late scores for Ryan Harford and Chris Clayton but by then the damage had already been done with a third Newport try from Alan Awcock.

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Tonight’s Premiership Predictions

Bedwas v Llanelli

This should be a straight-forward victory for the visitors as Bedwas haven’t won in the league since mid-January. Home advantage will give them some help but the Scarlets have the incentive of putting the pressure firmly on the five teams at the top.

Verdict – Llanelli by ten points

Bridgend v Llandovery

Llandovery miss a great chance last time out when they lost at home to Cross Keys and after beating the Ravens in the reverse fixture earlier in the season they’ll want to bounce back straight away. Bridgend will want to arrest a three-match losing streak too.

Verdict – Llandovery by seven points

Cardiff v Aberavon

Both teams go into the game on the back of defeats, the one for Aberavon costing them first place in the table. Both clubs blow hot and cold at home and away respectively but Cardiff seem to raise their game against the better sides.

Verdict – Cardiff by six points

Carmarthen Quins v Tonmawr

Quins are on a five-game winning streak and have really had to battle hard for some of those. They will be disappointed if they don’t secure a bonus point against the bottom club but should do with ease.

Verdict – Quins by 20 points

Cross Keys v Swansea

Despite being seventh in the standings, Keys are by no means out of the running for the title and are looking for a third win in a row at home to Swansea. By the final whistle, the Whites could leap above rivals Cardiff and that will be incentive enough for them to win at Pandy Park.

Verdict – Cross Keys by nine points

Newport v Pontypridd

Newport recovered from a thumping at Aberavon to edge past Neath last weekend which makes this game not as easy to predict as some might think. Ponty’s form is a little up and down and they haven’t been able to find that consistency.

Verdict – Pontypridd by seven points

Pontypool v Neath

Neath lead the Premiership but they haven’t been as dominant as you’d expect from a team in their position. Pontypool beat Cardiff last Saturday to give them some confidence after a poor season and they’ll make it tough for the visitors.

Verdict – Neath by seven points

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Fowler says goodbye to Bridge Field

FORWARDS coach Martyn Fowler has left Bedwas to join Premiership rivals Cardiff as the club’s director of rugby.

The former Merthyr coach spent nearly three seasons at Bridge Field and leaves with the club lying 11^th in the Premiership table.

Fowler, 47, is Cardiff born and bred and has previous experience coaching the city’s university team and has a son, Aaron, who is a hooker at Bedwas.

The opportunity to take up the position at Cardiff was too good to turn down for Fowler and had the offer come from any other club he would have stayed at Bedwas.

“I offer my full appreciation to Bedwas RFC for the opportunity to coach in the Welsh Premiership,” he said. “I have enjoyed almost three seasons at Bedwas, working with some very talented players who I am sure will continue to represent Bedwas with pride and passion for many seasons to come.

“If the offer to head up my own coaching team had come from any other club, other than my home town club, I would have been very honoured to stay at Bedwas for as long as required.

“The hard work and determination shown by all of the committee members at Bedwas in keeping the club in the Welsh Premiership has been incredible to witness this season, I don’t know of any other club that could have achieved that given the time frame.”

Club secretary Dai Cousins added: “Martyn has worked hard during his time at Bedwas and we would like to wish him every success for the future.”

Several Premiership fixtures have been rearranged for the next couple of weekends.

Bridgend’s games against Pontypridd and Tonmawr will now take place at Sardis Road and the Whitworth Ground on March 16 and 24 respectively. The Pontypridd match kicks-off at 7.15pm and the Tonmawr tussle starts at 2.30pm.

The Ravens will be without Rory Pitman for both of those fixtures, in fact, the back row won’t be eligible again until April 4 after picking up a six-week suspension for a red card against Carmarthen Quins at the Brewery Field on January 21.

Meanwhile, in other rescheduled matches, Tonmawr go to Carmarthen Park this Friday (7.30pm) while Pontypool welcome Aberavon to Gwent on March 24 (2.30pm).

Speaking of Aberavon, lock Ian Moore has been invited to play for the Barbarians against Loughborough University at their new stadium on May 9.

Moore joins the likes of Richard Morris, Chris Gittins, Jamie Davies, Marc Breeze, Richard Carter and Mark Davies as Wizards who have played for the world-famous BaaBaas over recent years.

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