Sunday, 31 March 2013

Swalec Championship round-up

With the table-topping clash between Ebbw Vale and Bargoed postponed as the Vale duelled with Principality Premiership leaders Pontypridd in the Swalec Cup, Cardiff Met were handed a chance to close the gap on the top two.

It was an opportunity they failed to take, going down 24-16 at Narberth.

James Russel was in imperious form for the home side, kicking 14 of their 24 points, with Johnny Morgan and Will Lewis tries completing their scoring. Rhodri Davies crossed for the students’ only try, with Matthew Bryant kicking their other points in an intriguing battle between two kickers.

There was a large emphasis on play at the bottom of the table yesterday, with Narberth’s winning margin the largest of the day as every encounter was tightly contested.

Pontypool continued their mini resurgence with a 21-20 victory over Bonymaen. Elliot Goodman and Sam Cook crossed for their scores, with Clayton Gullis kicking 11 points.

Dan Joseph grabbed a brace of tries for the visitors and Nathan Brookes added another, while Richard Cunniffe kicked five points.

Elsewhere, Glamorgan Wanderers boosted their own chances of avoiding relegation with a 26-21 victory over Llanharen. Ianto Griffiths kicked 16 of their points, with Will Higgins and Ed Doe crossing for scores to keep the Wanderers seven points clear of Pontypool in the table.

The visitors out-scored their hosts in the try count with Tom Pascoe, Morgan Williams and Rhys Walker all going over the whitewash, while Ryan Ellis added two penalties to keep them in contention.

Blackwood were pushed hard by bottom club Whitland, but eventually triumphed by a single point: 19-18.

The hosts scored three tries through Josh Clarke, Justin Jones and Aaron Quick, with Paul Emanuelli converting two of them.

Dylan Richards and Andrew Jenkins notched for Whitland, with Scott Newton kicking a further eight points as they fell to their 17th defeat in 19 league games, in which they haven’t won in 11 since October 20.

Newbridge climbed to fourth in the table, moving just five points behind Cardiff Met, with their second win of the week: 23-18 at home to Beddau.

Neil Burnett was the star of the show for the hosts, crossing for a try and kicking two conversions and a penalty – a personal tally of 18 points. Dwayne Dyer’s touchdown completed their scoring.

Beddau also scored twice through Dan Fox and Bradley Coombs, while Andy Humberstone converted one of those and added two penalties.

They climb above Tata Steel, the only side to lose at home in the Championship this week, going down 21-26 to Bridgend Athletic.

The Ath secured a bonus point by notching four tries as they climbed above Beddau due to their loss at Newbridge. Scott Hicks scored twice, with Aled Thomas and James Olds getting the others. Steve Lewis converted three of them.

John Phillips, Ron Hill and Robbie Mayer all crossed for Steel, and two Scott Walters penalties completed their scoring. The result brings to an end a five-match winning streak for the club.

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