Division One West Weekend Review

Leaders Glynneath were forced to dig deep to maintain their unbeaten record in One West as they fought back to record a 10-10 draw at Crymych.

On a wet and wild day in West Wales, Crymych raced into a 10-0 lead at the interval with scrum-half Rhys Davies bagging all the hosts' points through a try, a conversion and a penalty.

However, the pacemakers hit back after the break with prop Nicky Boyce driving over, while centre Jack O’Reilly added the extras and a penalty to draw level.

The result sees Glynneath move 12 points clear at the summit after second place Waunarlwydd slipped to a 13-3 defeat at Builth Wells.

The Bulls completed the league double over the highfliers thanks to a Peter Owen touchdown and eight points from the boot of Rob Lloyd.

Waun could only muster a Josh Hammett penalty in reply.

Kidwelly No.8 Rich Rees produced some powerful carries for the hosts

Photos courtesy of AlfiePics

Kidwelly also capitalised on Waunarlwydd’s slip-up as the Black and Ambers moved up to second with a 10-3 win over Cwmllynfell at Parc Stephens.

Cwm's scrum-half impressed for the visitors 

Berian Watkins went over for the only try of the match while Jamie Evans added five points from the tee to seal their eighth victory of the season.

Black and Ambers Hooker Torin Myhill produced some crunching hits in defence

Meanwhile, Llangennech’s league revival continued with their seventh win on the bounce with a 31-13 victory over Ammanford.

Llangennech crossed the whitewash four times through Daniel Gravelle, Tom Barnes, Justin Hughes and Ashley Banfield while Jonathan Griffiths added eleven points from the tee.

Elsewhere, John Thomas was celebrating his first try in senior rugby as he helped Kenfig Hill to a narrow 12-10 win at Whitland.

The Mules outscored their rivals by two tries to one with Thomas and Dan Jones crossing, while Roy Giles added the extras to one.

In the day’s other encounter, Loughor were 31-7 home winners over Carmarthen Athletic.

The Blues made light-work of the wet and windy conditions as they ran their visitors riot, crossing five times in all. Michael Whitey was at the double for the hosts while Tim Butler, Steve Wake and Peter Smiriglia also went over. 

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Tylorstown looking to the future

Tylorstown have endured a rough couple of seasons, suffering relegation from Two East last term and struggling in Three South East this season.

The Rhondda side clinched only their second win of the season at the weekend when they saw off fellow strugglers Aberdare 12-0.

Despite Tylorstown’s recent hardships, Club Secretary Lionel Langford believes the foundations are in place for the club to emerge stronger from their recent lapse in form.

“We have a very young side which bodes well for the future but they have come up a bit short so far this season.

“No one at the club can fault their commitment but when you have players who are still eligible for youth packing down in your forwards, you’re always going to struggle against more experienced and physical teams,” added Langford.

However, with a very young squad and a thriving youth and junior section, Langford is optimistic for the next few seasons.

“It really is a question of patience for us- the club is thriving socially and we have good numbers, we just have to wait for the players to come through. A club’s success generally is quite cyclical so we’re just waiting for the next batch of players to mature.”

Langford is quick to point out that, despite suffering ten defeats in 12 starts, everyone at the club are proud of the players who are pulling on the Tylorstown shirt this season.

“We can’t fault their effort made by both the team and coaches. It isn’t easy being on the losing side week-in-week-out but the players have conducted themselves brilliantly and are an asset to the club.”

One concern Langford points out - a problem not just affecting Tylorstown but is endemic in Welsh rugby - is the lack of a 2^nd XV.

“We haven’t got enough boys to field a 2^nd team and from what I can gather, it is certainly the same case around Rhondda and it is worrying as you want those boys to feed into your first team squad.”

Tylorstown travel to Brecon after the two week break for the Six Nations and Langford believes it will be tough to complete the double over their rivals.

“In all honesty we were very lucky to win at home against them, but anything can happen in sport and I know the team will go out and give everything they have for the shirt.”

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Treharris Phoenix hoping to rise to promotion challenge

Treharris Phoenix are currently flying high in Five South Central and inflicted league leaders Cambrian Welfare’s only second defeat of the season at the weekend.

Treharris produced a gritty display to edge out Cambrian 10-8 at home with Lee Munk touching down while Jamie Evans added the extras and a penalty.

Club Secretary Karl Edwards believes that if they can continue to produce the goods, Phoenix could be in line to bag back to back promotions.

“We are very happy with our season, we had a good win Saturday and the players and coaches really believe they have it in them to challenge for promotion.”

Phoenix have had a change at the helm in the off season and Edwards thinks their fresh impetus has helped the side adjust to life in a higher division.

“Stephen Parry and Wayne Ford have taken over coaching duties and are doing a great job. We’ve had one or two lads return to the squad but essentially it is the same group that took us up last year.”

Edwards admits Treharris have a number of big matches coming up and hopes a couple of wins could put them in the driving seat for promotion.

“We have two tough away matches coming up in the league, travelling to Cefn Coed and Treherbert. We are the only side to have beaten Treherbert this season, and we follow that up with a local derby against Ynysowen. If we can notch up wins in those matches it will be huge for the confidence and belief in the side.”

 Next up Treharris take on Cefn Coed under the lights on Friday 7 February. 

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Swalec Lower League Round Up

Rhiwbina capitalised on Llantrisant’s 14-14 draw at Llantwit Fardre to leap to the summit thanks to a 34-9 home win over Dowlais.

The Squirrels touched down five times to secure a bonus point while Dowlais had to settle for just three penalties from Lloyd Hynes. No 8 David Smith was at the double for the hosts with a brace while Chris Fido, Richard Myers and Nick Howell also went over.

Meanwhile, Abertillery BG heaped more woe on strugglers Tredegar with an 11 try, 67-5 win. Aled Penn and Kurtis Haile both clinched hat-tricks while Jack Goodey, Nicky Thomas and Liam Grandon were also amongst the scorers.

Amman United’s title hopes took a knock as they slipped to a fifth defeat of the season, going down to Maesteg 21-12 at the Old Parish.

The Llynfi Valley side crossed twice through Keiron John and Sam Griffiths, while Corey Butler added eleven points from the tee.

At the other end of the table, Seven Sisters bagged only their third success of the season as they edged past Dunvant 21-20.

Seven Sisters outscored their rivals two tries to one with touchdowns from Kyle Davies and Alun Jones.

Wattstown returned to winning ways in Three South East as they comfortably saw off Tylorstown 36-6.

In Three West, Gorseinon maintained their title push with a 21-11 home win over Llandeilo, Josh Simmonds crossing twice for the Swansea side.

Finally, Aberbargoed were the big winners of the day as they racked up a century of points in their 15 try, 101-0 demolition of Blaengarw in Six South Central.

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Division One East Round Up - 23rd November

Merthyr were in sensational form at home to Glamorgan Wanderers yesterday afternoon running in nine tries from all over the pitch to win 59-6.

Coach Lee Jarvis had a run out for the Ironmen and had a great game at outside half pulling the strings in the backline and putting his centres and wingers through gaps with ease.

Iwan Williams and Chris Davies both scored twice for Merthyr along with scrum half Martin Luckwell, Owain Morgan, Matthew Trowbridge, Cameron Gardener and replacement Ollie Smyth as they extended their lead at the top of Division One East.

Heol-Y-Cyw kept up the pressure on leaders Merthyr and were also impressive against a lacklustre Rumney side eventually prevailing 35-18.

The Cockerels scored five tries thanks to a double from Chris Howe, Matthew Pound and Paul Songhurst going over as well as a try, two penalties and two conversions from fly-half Mike Huckridge.

Rumney’s tries came from Loren Quick as well as two penalties and a conversion from outside-half Danny Clark.

Ystrad Rhondda also maintained their pursuit on top spot with a hard fought Rhondda derby win over Treorchy by 27-17.

Winger Gerwyn Davies scored both tries for Ystrad with outside-half Rhys Truelove having a decent day from the tee landing five penalties and a conversion.

Full-back Gary Wilkes scored all of his side’s points for Penallta in their tight 13-3 victory over Rhydyfelin at Ystrad Fawr.

His try conversion and two penalties was enough to see off last season’s Swalec Plate runners-up.

Two James Spears tries and a Kurt Clabby effort was enough for Nelson to see of Gilfach Goch 19-7 at The Parc.

The Unicorns were good value for their win and probably should have scored a few more tries but blew a number of solid opportunities.

Bottom side Bedlinog were unlucky in their attempts at fighting off relegation as they valiantly went down 21-14 away at Ynysybwl.

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Swalec Leagues Review - 12th October

Llantrisant remain the unbeaten leaders of Division Two East but were made to work hard for their result against an unfancied Fleur De Lys side at the weekend.

The Black Army scored four tries thanks to scrum-half Glenn Holloway, Matthew Griffiths and a double for Christopher Green with Lewys Montague scoring 12-points from the tee.

Last season’s Division Three South East winners Dowlais have continued their form into their new environment and are currently in second place, four points behind Llantrisant.

They disposed of Mountain Ash with a fine second half performance to come out on top 25-9 with Kristian Owen, Adam Cullen, Tom Griffin and busy No.8 Simon Griffiths all running in tries for the Dragons.

In Two West, Maesteg Quins kept up their terrific early season form by beating Aberystwyth 27-14 to stay at the top of the division.

There were big wins for Amman United and Felinfoel over Aberavon Quins and Seven Sisters respectively.

Shotton Steel overcome Abergele 43-32 in the battle of the bottom two in Division Two North scoring six tries in the process.

Division Three South West’s Penlan gained a good result away at Maesteg Celtic.

Flanker Robert Green, No.8 Scott Di’Lulio, Dafydd Pritchard, Dean Davies and Kurt Velardo all scored for Penlan to inflict Maesteg Celtic’s first defeat of the season.

In Division Three South East, Brecon won a breath-taking encounter 44-35 at Porth thanks in part to a hat-trick from Jake Crockett.

Penybanc scored ran in eight tries to make light work of Milford Haven 50-0 in Division Four West.

In Four East, Nantyglo and Cwmbran both suffered tasted defeat for the first time this season at the hands of Caldicot and Abertysswg respectively.

Lower down, Treherbert hammered Hirwaun 52-0 in Five South Central and Burry Port hammered St. Davids 75-5 in Division Six West.

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Late drama in Gwent Cup final

WORTHINGTON GWENT & DISTRICT (CYRUS DAVIES) CUP FINAL

TREFIL13-14 ABERTYSSWG

Season after season it seems that few competitions rival the Worthington Gwent & District (Cyrus Davies) Cup final for excitement, and this season brought possibly the most thrilling finish of them all!

Division 6 East winners Trefil took on Division 5 runners-up Abertysswg at Glan-yr-Afon Park, the home of Blackwood RFC.

Abertysswg celebrate with the Gwent & District (Cyrus Davies) Cup.

If Abertysswg were thinking of a SWALEC League play-off in four days’ time it did not show, as they had all the early pressure, but Trefil soaked it up with a great defence.

After 21 minutes the deadlock was broken when Aber centre Richard Theophilus kicked a penalty, while Trefil fly half Matthew Edwards almost levelled with a drop goal attempt.

Then came a surprise score as Abertysswg’s pack shoved but rose to find Trefil had scored when David Kearney broke and full back Matthew Harley kicked ahead and regained to cross. Edwards converted.

A 7-3 interval lead was pegged back by another good Theophilus penalty, but flanker Christian Jones replied with a great run at the line for Trefil.

After 54 minutes Edwards placed a penalty for 10-6, but back surged Abertysswg with Rikki Jones running well and, after wonderful defence, Trefil just had to break under the pressure as centre Jamie Parry, having moved to scrum half, dived over to give Abertysswg the lead.

Now Trefil hit back, having superbly handled the threat of experienced Aber fly half Jamie Howells, and centre Lee Brooker banged over a massive penalty via the crossbar.

Abertysswg were down 11-13 with just 10 minutes remaining and hammered away for nine minutes and 30 seconds before replacement centre Josh Perry kicked a splendid goal to win it amidst terrific scenes.

While Abertysswg flanker Liam Buckley was voted man of the match, great credit went to referee Dion Tuck, who though only a district official in his second season, will surely rise quickly up the WRU Referees’ ladder.

Mr Gethin Morgan of Molson Coors presented the Cup to Abertysswg skipper and full back Steven Klein.

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Midweek rugby round-up

Penallta severely dented the title chances of Ystrad Rhondda in One East on Tuesday with a 24-13 victory at Ystrad Fawr.

Scrum-half Gareth Edwards crosses for the Pitmen

Photo courtesy of Penallta RFC

Neil Roberts, Gregg Haines and Gareth Edwards scores did the damage for the hosts, with Jonny Wright converting all three and kicking a penalty to make up for spending 10 minutes in the sin bin.

The defeat used up Ystrad’s game in hand over RGC 1404 and leaves them trailing the division leaders by three points with two fixtures remaining.

Elsewhere, Treorchy beat sorry Tredegar 122-5. They ran in 20 tries, with Craig Everett top scoring with a hat-trick. The Williams brothers Lloyd and Tom, Chris Jenkins, Curtis Hughes and Nathan Huish all notched braces, with Cory Dunn, Ben Uphill, Garin Daniel, Luke Rees, Peter Hutchings, Simon Collins and Jamie Summers all going over for single scores. Jordan Lloyd converted 11 of them.

Nelson’s title prospects in Two East were also severely dented with a 21-14 defeat at Llanishen. Ben Howie and Mat Davis crossed for scores, with Tom Hannah kicking the other 11 points.

Nelson now trail Bedlinog by five points, with the leaders also holding a game in hand.

In Three East, a Matthew Powell hat-trick and a Mark Storey brace helped Pontypool United to a 75-5 thrashing of Caerphilly, while Luke Edwards, Ifan Patchell abd Howell Lewis scores helped New Dock Stars edge Pembroke Dock Quins 25-23 in Five West.

There was also plenty of rugby being played on Wednesday, with two further Swalec League titles decided on the night.

Wednesday’s Championship action saw Ebbw Vale edge a tight encounter with Bargoed in the battle of the top two. With the title already sitting comfortably at Eugene Cross Park, it was merely bragging rights at stake, with the top club coming through 19-3.

It extended their run of home victories back to April 2012, but Bargoed did take the lead through a Josh Prosser penalty. After that it was all the hosts, with four Josh Lewis penalties and a Spencer Gibson touchdown, converted by Lewis, bringing the win.

Elsewhere, Blackwood boosted their chances of a top half finish with an even closer 16-11 triumph at Bonymaen.

The hosts crossed through James Bija, with Richard Cunniffe adding two penalties. But they were outscored by a try from captain David Ford, which was converted by Paul Emanuelli, who also added three penalties.

In One East, Heol y Cyw celebrated their capture of the Swalec Plate on the weekend by staging a fightback to pour relegation worry on Mountain Ash.

The Old Firm led 22-3 at the break thanks to a brace of tries from Evan Ellis, a Ross Davies score and two conversions and a penalty from Dean Gunter. Gunter kicked another penalty after the restart but it was mostly one-way traffic.

Rhys Owen crossed over twice for The Cockerels, with Gareth Howells and Paul Songhurst bringing up the bonus point. Mike Huckridge converted three of them and added a penalty.

Mountain Ash now sit three points above the drop zone, but Merthyr below them have a game in hand.

There was also drama in One West where Cwmllynfell’s title challenge took a huge battering after going down 29-11 at Kidwelly.

At the bottom, Skewen’s stay in the division looks to be over after they went down 20-14 at Kenfig Hill. Aled Morgan and a penalty try, both converted by Anthony Buselli weren’t enough for the visitors, as The Mules earned a bonus point through Tom Briggs, Raymond Evans and two Shaun Burnell scores.

Elsewhere, Glynneath ran in 15 touchdowns as they put 85 points past luckless Aberavon Quins in an 85-24 victory.

Pablo Williams nabbed a hat-trick, with Tom Benn and Ryan Llewellyn both adding braces. James Parry, Ben John, Rhodri Cole, Lloyd Bayliss, Michael Owen and Liam Davies all put five points on the board. The Quins did secure a bonus point of their own, though, as Dan Morgan, Ben Bragger, Mike Parfitt and John Creelock all scored.

In Two North, Shotton Steel will need a win from the final game of the season to avoid relegation after being beaten 37-28 at home by Rhyl, who gained a bonus point by running in five tries.

Mumbles will be waking up with sore heads this morning after a 27-0 bonus point victory at Ystalyfera earned them the Three South West title. It closed a remarkable run of fixtures as the club needed five bonus point wins from their last five fixtures to pip Trebanos, which they achieved.

First half James Littlehales and Andrew Claypole tries had them on their way, before Littlehales’ second, Greg Davies and Claypole again sealed the required bonus point to bring the title home.

Monmouth trounced basement club Blaina 84-7 in Four East, while Glyncorrwg moved to the top of Four South West with a 14-8 victory over Penlan, who drop to second a point behind them. With Glyncorrwg having now completed their fixtures, all eyes are now on Penlan’s final match at home to Bridgend Sports on Saturday to see if they can reclaim top spot and the title with a win.

The sole score went to the home side from Josh Thomas, with Rhodri Thomas kicking the rest of their points.

In Four South East, champions Wattstown celebrated their weekend’s Swalec Bowl victory with a 38-24 home win over CRC Caerdydd. Chris Evans and Matthew Davies both crossed the whitewash for braces, with Chris Davies and Rhydian Williams celebrating single scores.

Elsewhere, Jonny Evans and Lee Smith touched down braces of tries as second-placed Pontycymmer won 38-12 at Cowbridge.

In Five South West, Cwmgors lifted the title after an 84-7 thrashing of Llandybie, while Penybanc did their hopes of being automatically promoted as the Division Five runner up with the best record no harm as they beat Banwen 62-10 to move on to 94 points.

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Tuesday’s Swalec Leagues rugby round-up

Treorchy posted one of the evening’s more surprising results when they hammered One East lower-mid-table rivals Ynysybwl 93-14.

The Zebras ran in 15 tries in this whitewash, with centre Chris Jenkins and full back Tom Williams both helping themselves to hat-tricks on the night.

In One West, bottom side Aberavon Quins put up a decent fight against Waunarlwydd before eventually succumbing 20-33.

The hosts scored three tries through Dan Morgan, Jordan Crealock and a penalty try, but they couldn’t match their visitors who ran in five scores. Antonio Jones touched down for two of them, with Dai Evans, Alan Pope and second row Simon Evans also going over. Lee Evans converted four of them for the rest of the points.

Kidwelly were brought back down to earth with a bump after denting the title challenge of Tondu on the weekend as they were edged out 23-22 at Loughor.

Full back Andrew Williams was busy for the hosts as he crossed over, converted a try and kicked a penalty, while Andrew Banfield also scored a try and kicked a penalty. Another conversion and penalty were added by Peter Smiriglia on a night where the kicking duties were shared out.

For Kidwelly, Andy Francis scored their only try, with Gareth Rees converting it and adding five penalties for a personal tally of 17 points.

Pontyclun posted another impressive in Three South East, beating Cardiff Quins 42-17 at home. Huw Probin and Lloyd Rose both dived over for braces of tries, with Ben Davies and Gavin Pascoe both putting five points on the board. Rhys Morgan kicked the remaining 12 points.

Aberdare crossed the whitewash seven times in a 43-29 win over third-placed St Peters in the same division, while Pencoed beat Ystalyfera 41-22 in Three South West.

Blaenavon moved to the top of Four East after putting 10 tries past bottom side Blaina in a 62-7 victory. Second half substitute Richard Dennington pushed for a starting place next time out by grabbing a hat-trick of tries, with Jamie Noble and Nathan Preece adding braces. Ryan Basham, Gareth Groves and Matthew Davies rounded off the try scoring, with Dan Phillips converting six of them.

Dan Butler kicked 13 points as RTB Ebbw Vale beat Trinant 30-9 in Five East, while Cwmgors won 37-6 at Cwmgrawch and Alltwen beat Baglan 43-19 in Five South West.

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Dowlais claim Three South East title

Dowlais lifted the National League Division Three South East title with a 22-18 away win over Pentyrch on April 30, giving them a total of 91 league points.

Dowlais captain James Quirk lifts the trophy.

The match was fiercely contested, but Dowlais managed to take the title
in the final few minutes with a converted try, turning the game over
from what had previously looked to be a victory for Pentyrch.

Team captain James Quirk said: “It’s a fantastic feeling to be lifting
this trophy for all the boys on the team. It was a tough match against
Pentyrch, and we really had to work hard to win, but I wouldn’t have had
it any other way.

"This season has gone well for us. We’ve really
improved on fitness, which has made all the difference to our game, and
our players have dedicated themselves to training sessions in all
weathers.

“The support network within the club has been fantastic: from the
committee to the sponsors, and all our friends and families – the
atmosphere our supporters have created has really encouraged the boys,
even in difficult games like this one.

“This is an exciting promotion for us and we’re looking forward to our
next season in Division Two.”

Dowlais is one of the youngest clubs in the SWALEC leagues. Since
becoming a WRU club 12 years ago, it has progressed from Junior Division
to Division Two in just 12 seasons.

They count former Premiership player Kristian Owen as one of their three
coaches, and the centre, who has played for Ebbw Vale, Pontypridd and, most
recently, Bedwas, said: “This was a fantastic match for us to win the
league with. Pentyrch put up a good fight, but our boys did even better
and I’m proud to see them lift the trophy today.

“Dowlais is a fast-growing club, despite its youth, and this promotion
really demonstrates that. It wouldn’t have been possible without the
huge dedication shown by all the players and the fantastic support we
have at the club house. This victory has been a team effort and is
well-deserved.”

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Swalec lower league round-up

There were some high-scoring wins in the Swalec lower leagues yesterday, including Rhiwbina, Bedlinog and Senghenydd breaking the 50-point barrier in Two East.

Second-placed Rhiwbina handed a 63-6 thrashing out to Abercynon, with Paul Maddock scoring three of their nine tries, and Brett Chatwin grabbing a brace.

Leaders Bedlinog also won 63-0 at Tylorstown.

James Richards also scored a hat-trick as Senghenydd put 10 tries past Garndiffaith in a 71-18 win, while Elliot Jones, Bedwyr Harries, Simon Williams, Lewis Montague and Alex James were on the mark for Llantrisant as they beat Fleur De Lys 39-24.

In Two West, Andrew Phillips, Rhys Davies, Gavin Thomas and Richard Sharpe-Williams all scored touchdowns for second-placed Crymych in their 33-13 win over Seven Sisters, with Davies also converting two and adding three penalties.

Felinfoel ran in six tries as they triumphed 46-29 at Maesteg Quins to climb above them and Seven Sisters in to third. Luke Marsh wrestled through for a brace, with Eliot Ball, Jason Frater, Dale Watts and Dan Thomas also going over the whitewash. Aled Roberts converted five of them and also kicked two penalties.

Two Ian Ellis scores helped Aberystwyth to a 22-5 win over Penclawdd, while Maesteg thumped basement club Haverfordwest 62-10. They ran in 10 tries in total – Nicky Fisher (three), Owain Evans (two), Karl Hocking (two), Mark Hillier-Rees, Grant Epton and Corey Butler all on target.

In Two North, Machynlleth crossed 14 times in their 86-0 drubbing of Llandudno, something of a surprise result. Gerwyn Coleman and Kameron Simmons-Sandy both grabbed hat-tricks in that one.

In Three West, second-placed Newcastle Emlyn scored nine tries as they beat Pontyberem 59-24. Both Daniel Davies’ were on the scoresheet, as were Mike Jones, Owen Powell, Alyn Howells, Llyr Jones and Shaun Leonard (twice).

Cardigan got the better of Milford Haven 47-11, with Justin Crompton and Tom Turner top-scoring with two tries apiece. Llyr Griffiths, Colin Davies and Rhydian Jenkins were their other scorers, with Crompton also kicking six conversions.

Three South East leaders Dowlais kept chugging towards the title as they triumphed 31-8 at Brecon. Keri Morgan grabbed two tries, while Christian Owens, Bleddyn Rees and Darryl Jenkins also crossed.

Second-placed Pontyclun kept the chase up with a five-try, 31-8 triumph at Brecon.

Vardre won the battle of the bottom two with Aberavon Green Stars in Three South West. Ian Thomas grabbed two tries, with Jamie Taylor, Sean Raymond and Dai Knight also notching in a 34-31 victory.

With Newtown’s fixture with Porthmadog postponed in Three North, Wrexham took advantage with a 50-5 win at Holyhead to climb up to second, although Newtown and leaders Rhos now have a game in hand over them.

Elsewhere, Menai Bridge beat Welshpool 45-14 to keep their very, very slim title hopes alive. Adam Goodwin and captain David Williams both slid over for braces, with Ollie O’Brien and Jack Owens adding others.

The top four all won in Four South West, with second-placed Glyncorrwg picking up what must be one of the biggest ever Welsh league wins – 156-0 against basement club Birchgrove.

They ran in 24 tries, with Steffan Hnatiuk helping himself to seven of them, and Gareth Kingman, Josh Thomas, Damien Warlow, Lee Bevan and Gareth Goodridge all grabbing braces. The latter converted 18 of them for a personal tally of 46 points, and Steve Tremlett, Ioan Williams, Steffan Williams, Anthony Davies, Rhys Harris, Jonathan Howells and Nathan Down also got scores.

The result smashed the club record win of 120-0 over Porthcawl in 2006/07, with the seven tries by Hnatiuk equalling the record set by Goodridge in the same game.

Leaders Penlan beat Briton Ferry 14-57 on their own patch, James Jenkins and Dafydd Pritchard grabbing braces of touchdowns. Luke Davies, Rhys Thomas, Rob Green, Rob Dallaglio and Nathaniel Llewellyn made it nine tries for the top side.

In Four East, New Tredegar were also try-happy, putting leaders Cilfynydd to the sword 43-5. A Ricky Hawkins hat-trick and braces for winger Gavin Stockman and center Daniel Davies opened up the door for second-placed Blaenavon, who moved a point behind them with two games in hand thanks to a 36-8 triumph over Chepstow.

They ran in six scores from as many players – Matthew Davies, Steve Howard, Dan Morgan, Dan Phillips, Marc Watkins, Darren Walters all able to celebrate, with Adam Williams converting three of them.

The title may be out of their reach now in Four West, but that didn’t stop Llanybydder putting Bettws in their place with a 71-12 home win. Dyfryg Davies scored four of their 11 touchdowns, with Gethin Davies and Llyr Davies helping themselves to braces and Llyr Jones, Gary Evans and Rhydian Davies also crossing.

Champions Tycroes won 40-15 away at Laugharne.

Glyncoch continued their incredible unbeaten record, stretching back two seasons, as they secured the Five South Central title with a tight 25-21 victory over Ogmore Vale.

Rhys Jones, Gareth Way and Lawson Hancox all dived over, with Lee Goddard converting two and kicking two penalties.

There were two big wins in Five South West, courtesy of the new top two in the division.

Leaders Cwmgors won 50-39 at Baglan courtesy of hat-tricks by Richard Gregg and Steff Rees and a sole Lee Howells score.

Matthew Bagley (four), Nathan Jenkins (three), Chris Jones, Kevin Madge and Iwan Jones all crossed for Penybanc as they kept up their title chase with a 60-10 beating of Cwmtwrch, climbing above them in to third, with that result really denting Cwmtwrch’s own title hopes.

The final big victors of the day were Cambrian Welfare, who won the Six South Central crown courtesy of a 38-3 victory away at closest rivals Treharris, scoring six tries in the process.

The top two both also won in Division Seven, with leaders Cathays overcoming Aberbeeg 42-22, and Whitchurch keeping a point behind them with a 49-10 victory over West Mon. Both teams have just two fixtures to play.

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Ebbw Vale celebrate Championship title with another entertaining win

A high-scoring day in the Swalec Championship saw newly-crowned champions Ebbw Vale celebrate their mid-week title with an entertaining 45-28 victory at Narberth’s Lloyd Lewis Ground.

The Steelmen were welcomed to the pitch with a guard of honour for this complete try-fest, and it didn’t take them long to get going. They crossed three times either side of the break through Wes Cunliffe (twice), Dan Ajuwa, Polu Uhi, Charlie Simpson and Adam Jones to punch six more tries on to their record for the season.

The Otters played their part in an entertaining encounter and came away with a try bonus point of their own thanks to touchdowns from Ollie Reyland, Mick Jones, Wayne Williams and Rhys Lane.

At the other end of the table, Glamorgan Wanderers have lost their battle with relegation after they went down 33-17 to Beddau at the Memorial Ground.

The Wanderers needed a bonus point win to keep their slim chances alive but came up short, as they were outscored three tries to four. The writing has been on the wall for a long time, including their heavy mid-week defeat to The Steelmen as they secured their crown, but it will still hurt the supporters of the famous old club.

The Green and Golds’ tries came courtesy of Tom Benjamin, Luke Crocker, Joe Casella and Adam Williams, while the Wands crossed through Josh Hurley, Gareth Armstrong and Steff Simpson as their Championship stay came to an end after just a season.

Pontypool, meanwhile, ended their season on a high with their seventh win of their campaign as they edged out third placed Tata Steel 15-14 in something of a shock.

Full back Clayton Gullis kicked five penalties for all the home side’s points, while some heroic defence ensured the visitors came up short, and will give Pooler fans some hope ahead of next season.

Llanharan also rounded off a solid campaign with another entertaining victory on the day as they dispatched Bridgend Athletic 43-33.

Harley Thomson crossed the whitewash twice for the hosts, converted five of their six tries and kicked a penalty to make him the hero of the afternoon. Their four other touchdowns came from wingers Rhys Walker and Morgan Williams, as well as Gavin Smith and Bill Carey.

Steven Lewis starred for the away side, scoring a try and converting four of their five ventures over the line. The others came twice from No8 Sean Derrick, as well as single scores by second row Paul Jones and Matt Muir.

Elsewhere, Bargoed ran in seven tries as they dispatched basement boys Whitland 43-12.

All of the home sides’ points came via four Scott Newton penalties, but Bargoed had a whale of a time in the Whitland 22. Darren Humphries broke through for a hat-trick, with James Tizey, Simon Parry, Chris Mapps and Christian Perry also finding their way through.

Cardiff Met narrowly saw off Bonymaen 17-13 at Parc Mawr. Rodney Davies scored their sole try, with Matt O’Brien kicking three penalties and a drop goal to seal the win. The hosts out-scored their visitors two-tries-to-one through Luke Myatt and Nathan Brooks, with Richard Cunniffe also kicking a penalty.

Finally, Neil Burnett guided Newbridge to a narrow 26-24 win over Blackwood, the enigmatic outside half notching up 21 of his side’s points in a sterling performance consisting of a try, two conversions and four penalties. Wayne Dyer slid over for their other score.

The Caerphilly side replied through two Matthew McGovern touchdowns and a third by Nicky Tucker, with Paul Emanuelli kicking three penalties.

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Abertillery win Division Three East title

Abertillery BG hoisted the  Division Three East title aloft after a 42-5 victory over near neighbours Pontypool United on Saturday.

The squad have only lost once during the campaign – with that defeat coming during the first game of the season against the same opponents.

Top points scorer Chris Stevens, who only took over kicking duties in October, added to his existing tally of 177 points during the title-winning match, and winger Aled Penn, the club’s top try scorer, also added to his tally with a hat-trick to take him to 23 with three games still remaining.

The club has seen a remarkable rise since reforming in 2004 following the collapse of Abertillery RFC. Starting afresh in the league’s bottom division for the 2004/05 campaign, Abertillery Blaenau Gwent have since worked their way up to Division 3 East with a squad boasting its club’s youth and junior products.

Abertillery captain Luke Pegler on the attack against Pontypool United

Team manager Gareth Pitman said: “Throughout this season it’s come down to a collective performance. We’re extremely lucky to have a local group of talented youngsters at our disposal and a good youth set-up coming through.

"We’ve added a sprinkling of senior players like (former Ospreys and Dragons fly half) Shaun Connor, who has had a major influence on the squad this season.”

Captain and scrum half Luke Pegler added: “Winning Division 3 East is a massive achievement for everyone involved. Our success has come down to good coaching, good work ethic and commitment in training and a great camaraderie amongst the squad.

"Abertillery RFC were playing top flight rugby not so long ago, and we’re slowly creeping our way back. The whole town has got behind the team throughout the season and it’s great to be able to reward them with the division title."

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Undefeated Gowerton enjoy first promotion in a decade

Gowerton celebrated their crowning as Division 5 West champions with a trophy presentation at home after thrashing Pembroke on Saturday.

The team has enjoyed an undefeated season, scoring a record breaking 1,000+ points, and it is the team's first promotion in more than 10 years. Club captain James Hedley said that this is down to their strong youth players, who are now playing for the senior team.

The 33-year-old home-grown lad said: "We've performed so well this season and have really benefited from having the strong youth side join us. Most of the senior team have come from our youth side, proving that building on their skills at a young age can really help them become the best players possible when they join the seniors.

"It's been a tough couple of years, but the secret to our success certainly comes down to the enthusiasm and determination of not only our younger players, but everyone else involved in the club too. We're looking forward to Division 4, and hope to replicate this year's success next season."

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Tuesday rugby round-up

Llandovery set up a scintillating final day of the Premiership season as their 41-3 beating of Aberavon guaranteed a nail-biting 80 minutes for all sides still in with a shot at the play-offs.

They moved in to second spot, above Bedwas and Llanelli, with just two points separating the three sides. On Saturday they travel to Bedwas for a tantalising play-off showdown, with both sides knowing a win could see them home. Llanelli will be hoping that Llandovery overcome their hosts, or a draw is etched out, as that would see them take their play-off place no matter what happens in their fixture at Pontypridd.

With all the possible bonus point permutations, the real winner, of course, is the neutral.

It took the hosts just eight minutes to cross the whitewash through James Garland, before Shaun Miles, Jack Roberts, Adam Warren, Lee Rees and Chris Knight all followed suit. Garland converted three of them and added a drop goal for a personal tally of 14 points, with Roberts converting another.

Aberavon’s sole points came from a Craig Evans penalty just after the restart.

Elsewhere, Cardiff ended bottom side’s Swansea’s terrible season on another sour note with a 33-8 victory at St Helen’s.

Dan Fish flopped over for a brace of tries, with Garyn Lucas and Dan Partridge adding two more. James Thomas kicked the rest of the points. Swansea replied through an Aled Jenkins score and a Luke Price penalty.

In One West, Carmarthen Athletic wracked up a half century of points in an eight-try, 52-13 victory at Waunarlwydd.

Centre Viv Jenkins top-scored with two of those, with full-back Rhys Schiavone, Scott Maynard, hooker Gethin Robinson, centre Mike Sauro, Richard Broomfield and Aled Jones also going over. Maynard converted six of them.

The hosts earned a penalty try with the last play of the game, as a covering defender won the race to a kick over the top and hit the ball over the dead ball line.

There is an equally exciting race for the title in Three North as there is for the Premiership play-offs. Newtown in third triumphed 57-7 at home to Flint last night to leave them on 63 points, the same as second-placed Wrexham and just one behind leaders Rhos.

Flying wing Junior Dean put the final touches to two tries, with fly half Rowan Swanson scoring another and a very productive day for the pack resulting in five points each for No8 Nick Jones, flanker Craig Lewis, hooker Will Richards, pop Ashley Padget and second row John Harbour. Jack Bennett picked the remaining 17 points.

Rhos do have a game in hand on the other two as well as that extra point, and they play it tonight away at lowly Porthmadog.

Cilfynydd gave themselves a huge boost in the Four East title race by edging the battle of the top two 20-19 at Ynysddu, coming from 16-0 down with 20 minutes to go to sensationally nick it.

Greg and Dafydd Davies were the main instigators of the comeback with two tries, one of which was converted by Delme King and the other by Mark Burton, who also kicked two penalties in the remarkable win.

Jeremy Roberts looked to have almost single-handedly won the game for the hosts with their only try, converted, plus three penalties, while Craig Davies chipped in with a drop goal before the comeback.

The result leaves Cilfynydd seven points clear on 79, and with two games in hand, while Oakdale in third, just a point behind Ynysddu, also have a game in hand to play over them.

Llanybydder missed the chance to go top of Four West, crashing 28-14 at third-placed Fishguard. Rhodri Thomas, Ed Bendle, Mark George and Gavin Walsh all crossed for the hosts, with James Griffiths converting them to put a real dent in the visitors’ title bid.

Four South West leaders Penlan put 84 points past bottom club Birchgrove to celebrate the promotion they achieved by beating Bridgend Sports in their last outing.

They won 84-5, running in 14 tries, to put one hand on the title ahead of Glyncorrwg, providing there is no end-of-season collapse.

Wing Dafydd Pritchard and flanker Adam Glover both ran in hat-tricks, with centre Nathanial Llewellyn and scrum half Dominic Cambriani both adding braces. Full back Luke Davies, outside centre Lee Banfield, and the two second rows Kurt Velardo and Luke Mooney crossed for single scores, with outside half Steven Williams converting three of them, and his replacement Scott Davies converting another four.

Nantyglo moved eight points clear of Caerleon in Five East with a 17-7 win at Crumlin, while St Josephs are now 14 points clear in Five South East thanks to a 24-19 win at home over Caerau Ely.

Finally, Cwmgors climbed to the top of Five South West by beating Glais 29-0. Mike Hodges, James Varney, Steff Rees and Owen Davies tries secured the bonus point they required to climb above Cwmtwrch with a game in hand. Both clubs are on 80 points.

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Swalec Leagues Round-up

A fantastic second half surge kept Rhiwbina’s promotion hopes very much alive in Two East as they fought hard to overcome Pill Harriers 31-14.

They scored straight from the kick-off, the forwards making ground before the ball went through the three-quarters’ hands to Gareth McCarthy. He freed Tom Slocombe to score in the corner.

They crossed again when Brett Chatwin caught a cross-field Pill kick and made a break to put McCarthy in, Richard Saltmarsh landing the conversion.

Having already kicked two penalties, Pill touched down themselves when the forwards took a catch and drive over the whitewash, with David Tovey getting the final touch.

They were on the scoreboard again just before half-time and took the lead when Bradley Williams slotted another penalty over.

After some changes at the break, The Squirrels scored their third try to go back in front when Jake Chilcott ran from deep and fed Josh Davies, who made a weaving run of his own before handing over to Chatwin to finish the move off.  

Pill then had a man dismissed, and the hosts pressed hard and added a bonus point try through McCarthy and a fifth from Saltmarsh, and he converted both to seal the win.

Llantrisant beat Tylorstown 24-15 to keep their promotion hopes intact, while Senghenydd beat Nelson 26-10 in the battle of the other two promotion contenders at The Welfare Ground.

Builth Wells extended their lead at the top of Two West to nine points with a 27-6 win over third-placed Maesteg Quins, as second-placed Seven Sisters were beaten 20-17 by Maesteg at Llynfi Road.

Gethin Davies touched down twice for Builth, with Rob Lloyd having a busy day as he grabbed another, converted all three, kicked a penalty and also spent time in the sin bin for a tackle in the air.

Corey Butler was the Maesteg hero against Seven Sisters, kicking five penalties to add to Ben Clarke’s try.

Amman United were crowned champions of Three West with a 57-3 thrashing of Llanelli Wanderers. Dean Williams crossed the whitewash three times, while Joel Foster did so twice and Rhys Thomas, Sean Mangan, Guy Matthews and Gavin Lewis also scored, the party beginning as soon as the final whistle was blown.

Second-placed Newcastle Emlyn beat third-placed Tenby United 20-15 at Dol Wiber, but Sean Lennard, Gethin Green and Dan Davis tries were in vein as far as the title race is concerned.

With Abertillery not playing, Newport HSOB cut the gap on the Three East leaders to nine points thanks to a 24-3 win over relegation-threatened Brynmawr.

They secured a bonus point victory thanks to tries from Rhys Williams, Phil Handley, Rhys Cook and a penalty try.

With Abercarn and Brynmawr losing at the bottom end of the table, Croesyceiliog did their own survival chances the world of good with an 18-13 win over Abergavenny. Both sides grabbed two tries, the home team’s coming from Mike Hardy and Lee Williams, with Abergavenny replying through Frank James and Rhodri Webster.

Trebanos won the battle of the top two in Three South West, but the leaders only just overcame title challengers Ystalyfera 12-11 to move 22 points clear at the top. The bonus point defeat allowed the visitors to climb above Mumbles in to second as the Swansea-based team’s game with Aberavon Green Stars was postponed.

The race for the Three North title still refuses to give anything away, as the top three all won and remain within a point of each other.

Rhosllanerchrugog still sit a point ahead of Wrexham and Newtown, and gave their rivals something to think about with an 11-try, 71-3 thrashing of lowly Benllech. Ethan Bishop top-scored with four of them, while captain Dewi Richards added two more and there were single scores for Alun Richards, Mike Evans, Ritchie Jones, Matt Whiteley and Gareth Ireland, who also converted eight of them for a personal haul of 21 points.

Wrexham kept up the chase with a 36-17 win at Bangor, while Newtown came away from Porthmadog with a six-try, 42-16 win.

Menai Bridge also won their mid-table clash with Flint by a big score – 49-5. They ran in nine tries through Jac Owen, Geraint Williams, James Roberts (two), Dan Collins, Leon Owen (two) and Sam Dignam (two).

Pontyclun kept the Three South East title race alive as they beat top side Dowlais 10-3 at Dowlais Top. The only try of the match went to Daniel McClaggen, with Rhys Morgan converting it and adding a penalty. The win cuts Dowlais’ lead to nine points.

St Peters kept up with Pontyclun in third, both level on 69 points, as they beat Cardiff Quins 36-10.

In Four East, Oakdale kept up the pressure on the top two with a 44-6 thrashing of Chepstow, while in Four South East, Barry missed the chance to climb to the top of the table after going down 5-7 at home in a low-scoring local derby with Llantwit Major.

Tycroes climbed above Llanybydder to the top of Four West thanks to a 27-7 bonus point win over Nantgaredig. Stuart Mander, Tristan Morgan, Dean Bronham and a penalty try earned the point they needed to go top, as Llanybydder had to work hard for a 13-6 win at bottom side Neyland.

In Four South West, Nantyfyllon battered lowly Birchgrove 66-0 as they crossed over for nine tries. Nigel Jones scored 31 of those points in a memorable day for him, grabbing two tries, converting nine and kicking a penalty.

Richard Bull also scored a brace, while Andrew John, Alyn Brace, Cory Harris, Ryan Osgood and Dean Edwards also striking.

Cwmtwrch climbed to the top of Five South West thanks to a 27-19 win over Glais as Dale Jones ran in a brace of tries, while Penybanc lost 18-14 at home to Cwmgors. At the bottom, Llangadog kept up their survival hopes with a 21-20 victory by the narrowest of margins over the team above them, Llandybie.

The result of the day went to Cefn Coed as they obliterated luckless Pontllanfraith 102-3 in Five South East. Matthew Rolls notched four tries, while Rhys Davies and Sam George both grabbed hat-tricks. There were braces for Matthew Bow and Tim Phillips, and Perry Lander, Lewis Morgan and Shaun Deery also dived over. Bow converted seven of them, and also kicked a penalty.

Leaders St Josephs also won 48-0 at St Albans, while in Five South Central, Ogmore Vale thrashed Blaengarw 85-0.

James Headley grabbed two tries as Five West leaders Gowerton beat Penygroes 41-0, while New Dock Stars in second won by the same scoreline over Pontyates.

Cambrian Welfare and Treharris continue to fight it out of the top of Six South Central, with the former’s 48-0 win over Cefn Fforest and the latter’s 56-0 thrashing of Tongwynlais meaning there is still only a point between the two.

Finally in Division Seven, Cathays failed to stretch their lead over Whitchurch at the top as they lost 18-14 at Aberbeeg.

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