Blues bag five tries in big win (From Western Telegraph)

Blues bag five tries in big win

Haverfordwest 33 Tumble 3

Haverfordwest coach Gary Price will have been delighted by the skills shown by his young side as they comfortably accounted for fellow-strugglers Tumble in a match worth the proverbial six points.

The Blues were only 5-3 ahead at the break but had really done the hard graft because they had second use of the cold breeze blowing down the pitch - and ran in a further four tries to confirm their superiority. There was also further good news for the Blues as flanker Carl Weak came back from injury to play in the unaccustomed position of lock, with Matthew Lewis also returning to action as replacement second row.

Yet it was Tumble who made the better start as their big pack drove downfield and when the Blues transgressed by getting offside it allowed centre Jeremy Davies to land the resultant penalty.

But Tumble were unable to make any further inroads as the home back row of Andrew Thicker, Richard Brazell and Lewis Wood were involved, Thicker driving as strongly as ever alongside Brazell, who doubled up as a lineout jumper, with Wood always controlling awkward ball from a retreating scrum and linking well with halves Matthew Kelly and Steve Williams.

Kelly is certainly leading the team by example in the No 9 shirt and partner Williams set up the first Blues' try with a canny kick ahead that allowed winger Paul Mason to score an opportunist try as reward for all his enthusiasm in attack and covering at the back alongside Graham Badham and youth prospect Mark Jones.

Centres Jamie Dalton and Andrew Harries tackled well, as did Gareth Bartlett when he made his first-team debut after the break as replacement for Harries - and the Blues started the second period with a bang as Brazell won the lineout ball and play was spread wide for Dalton to crash over for his fifth try of the season, Williams adding the extra points. Williams turned try-scorer when a Tumble move broke down near half way and the outside half sped to the line before converting his own try.

Good forward pressure instigated by Justin Mountstephens, Gareth Green and Simon Lepetit, allowed Haverfordwest to mount a pressure platform from which Graham Badham pounced as only he can, Williams duly slotting the easy conversion.

To be fair to Tumble, they kept plugging away butt right at the end Haverfordwest rounded off the scoring when Jamie Dalton charged down a kick and Bartlett celebrated his debut with a try which Williams converted to give his side victory by 30 clear points.

The Blues' faithful were clearly delighted by their win and Jamie Dalton was chosen as man of the match, the former flanker scoring a try and being heavily involved in his new centre spot.

Haverfordwest: Graham Badham: Mark Jones; Andrew Harries (Graham Bartlett); Jamie Dalton; Paul Mason: Steve Williams; Matthew Kelly: Justin Mountstephens; Gareth Green; Simon Lepetit: Gareth Thomas (Matthew Lewis); Karl Weake: Andrew Thicker; Richard Brazell; Lewis Wood.