Super Bowl opener for Nantgaredig points machine Davies

Swalec Bowl weekend round-up (selected games)

IT wasn’t a great weekend for shocks in the first round of the Swalec Bowl but there were still some standout performances from both teams and individuals.

On an individual level, no-one was going to better the display given by Nantgaredig’s Meirion Davies who scored more than half his side’s points in their 75-13 hammering of St Davids.

Davies contributed no less than 40 points in all as Four West beat Five West to reach the second round when the likes of Glyncoch, champions last season, will be involved for the first time.

They, along with several other clubs, received byes in the first round while New Tredegar, the club Glyncoch beat at the Millennium Stadium in May, are also safely through following a 63-0 dismantling of Six South Central outfit Tref y Clawdd.

Marc Vaughan (3), Gavin Stockman (2), Daniel Davies (2), Steve Osbourne (2) and Ryan Powell scored New Tredegar’s tries as the Rhymney Valley side showed their dominance to full effect.

The two-division gap also told in the match between Cilfynydd of Four East and Six South East’s Llanrumney where the hosts won 60-8. Owen Sheppard grabbed a hat-trick and Josh Waughington crossed twice on his debut.

In fact, only Newtown and Ogmore Vale defeated teams in higher divisions than them, the former beating Nantyffyllon 18-15 on home turf and the latter ousting Machynlleth 45-24. Junior Dean was the man of the match for Newtown with four tries – Barry Lloyd and Rowan Meek got the others.

Laugharne of Four West were comfortable 62-0 victors in their home tie against Five West’s Llangwm. Liam Price was yet another player to register a hat-trick while Tom Denham also crossed.

A two-try salvo from Gethin Jones helped Tregaron of Six West to a 26-5 win at Aberystwyth University and, in an all-Five East derby, Brynithel got the better of Llanhilleth 25-24, Gavin Hayes scoring twice for the winning team.

The highest scorers yesterday were Two North’s Abergele who blew away Bangor of Three North 107-3! Shotton Steel scored 12 tries in a 74-3 blitz of Benllech and back in the South, Betws edged a thriller against Swansea Uplands 34-33.