Blackwood no match for eight try Otters (From Western Telegraph)

Blackwood no match for eight try Otters

Narberth 49 Blackwood 30

Narberth again produced a superb all-round team performance to beat off the challenge of a Blackwood side that was full of confidence after victory over Llanharan the previous week, The Otters playing inventive rugby throughout and running in four tries in each half as proof of their positive play.

They were particularly good after the break because they were only four points to the good at that point but played really well into the strong breeze and allowed Blackwood just a single try to pull out their second successive deserved home victory.

Coaches Keith Eaton and Rob Phillips have really built a strong squad for this first campaign in Division One and after Blackwood had opened their account with a snap drop goal from fly half Martin Jones it was the Otters who took control in the first quarter.

Chris MacDonald was involved as always in setting up their first try with a chip to the corner and after Andrew Bowen had been held up he managed to supply No 8 Gareth Bennett with the scoring pass, Simon Daniel converting from in front of the posts.

Narberth conceded a careless penalty from the kick off to give Jones another three points for Blackwood but Daniel notched a penalty for The Otters and then winger Daniel Gravell kicked through after they had opened up from their own line.

He was denied a try but Narberth were awarded a penalty and a quick tap by the ubiquitous MacDonald allowed the scrum half to put hooker Craig Hawkins in at the corner.

It was no more than Narberth deserved and after 23 minutes they went further ahead as another move started near their home line allowed MacDonald, Bennett and centre Elgan Vittle to put speedster Andrew Jones away on a 70 metre dash to the line, Daniel again slotting the conversion.

But Blackwood again responded almost from the kick-off with a good try by full back Dean Brown, converted by Jones, after sustained work by their pack, flanker Lewis Hamer featuring twice and scrum half Richard Lewis always involved.

Gareth Bennett missed a golden opportunity to score at the posts but the busy No 8 made amends as he rounded off another period of intense pressure by The Otters, but with Andrew Jones sustaining a leg injury in the process which caused the winger to be stretchered off.

Narberth were still unable to quench the Blackwood fire, though, and the Gwent side clawed back ten points near the break as Jones landed a penalty and added the extras to a kick and chase try from centre Steve Small.

Jones also missed another chance of reducing the deficit to a single point and at the interval Narberth needed to regroup a little and cut out the basic errors. This they did well and although Dean Brown managed a second score for Blackwood it was Narberth who played so well into the wind that they scored a corner try from Jamie Bohata after Chris MacDonald had put them there and flanker Simon Davies supplied the scoring pass before Daniel's superb conversion attempt.

Davies himself stretched out to score with Bohata and Jason Jennings again in support - and after Brown's second score The Otters' decision to run a penalty in front of the Blackwood posts was rewarded as centre Andrew Bowen powered over for a try which Daniel goaled before the loudest cheer of the game when replacement flanker Akerei Malesala crossed for his first try with the club.

Daniel's missed conversion denied The Otters a half century of points but this was another fine Narberth win before they face their first stiff away test this Saturday, when they travel to Treorchy!

The Narberth match sponsors were The Templeton Supporters, with the match balls supplied by Penry Harries, Cynthia and Ian Evans; The Landshipping Boys; Keith Eastwood, Pembrokeshire Stained Glass; Woodford Engineering, Narberth.