Newtown take thrilling derby

Gary Williams from The Oval Zone was out and about at the weekend to capture the local action

Newtown 15 v Llanidloes 14 

This Mid Wales derby in Division Two North between two old foes was as close as expected with the hosts winning local bragging rights with a late score which clinched the result.

The opening period was a dour affair with both sides feeling the tension in front of a large festive crowd, with the only opportunity in the first 25 minutes coming from a Newtown penalty attempt which was well wide.

Llanidloes were enjoying the lion's share of possession but it was Newtown who finally broke the deadlock with a fine move involving half a dozen players which allowed winger Kyle Rowlands (PICTURE) to touch down in the corner for a 5-0 lead.

Llanidloes responded and with five minutes of the half remaining they got their reward when Matty Upson wriggled through the home defence to score under the posts, Tom Jerman converting to give the visitors a 5-7 interval lead. 

Eleven minutes in to the second half, Llanidloes pounded the home try line, eventually leading to second row Gareth Anwyl barging over for his side's second try, again converted by Jerman for a 5-14 lead.

With an hour gone, Newtown were given a lifeline when an indiscretion resulted in a penalty which Will Holloway calmly converted to make the score 8-14.

The clock showed 75 minutes gone when Rhys Williams scored Newtown's second try, again calmly converted by Holloway to secure a dramatic 15-14 lead and, despite throwing everything at their hosts in the final minutes, Llanidloes just couldn't break through for that all-important winning score. 

Dolgellau 21 v COBRA 36

In Division One North, COBRA gained a fine bonus point win against fellow strugglers Dolgellau, a win which allowed them to move up four places from the bottom of the table.

COBRA had a dream start with Harry Jukes scoring their first try in the third minute of the game. Brother Jack was next on the scoreboard for COBRA before Harry scored just before half time to give the visitors a commanding 0-22 lead.

Dolgellau made a spirited comeback early in the second half, scoring two tries of their own to make it 14-22.

However, the hat-trick try for Harry Jukes restored COBRA's dominance and when Aled Humphreys touched down to make it 14-36, the game was as good as over. Despite a further try for Dolgellau with time running out, the Meifod team comfortably held out for a valuable win on the road.