Haverfordwest 34 Newcastle Emlyn 11 Haverfordwest's greater pace behind the scrum was a decisive factor in their deserved home win over a gritty Newcastle Emlyn.

Half backs Mike Venables and especially Marc Jones calling the shots in a confident display built on the solid work of a pack well led by skipper Matthew Lewis and Andrew Thicker.

With both teams shorn of several key players there was still plenty of ability on show as the Blues gave a debut to Army centre Epili Mataitini and Emlyn had talented young fly half Rhydian Harries making his senior debut.

Haverfordwest made a bright start as a good build up by their pack allowed Marc Jones to put Thicker away with an overhead pass and the veteran No 8 did the rest for Mike Venables to convert.

Thicker also featured soon afterwards with a pick up and drive at a scrum five and long-serving second row Mark Busch, on for Giles Vaughan, who sustained a cut ear in a punch-up, ploughed over wide out on the left.

Harries reduced the deficit with a penalty for Emlyn but the Blues added a cracking third try.

Mike Venables sniped away at a scrum, found Marc Jones at his elbow and the No 10 provided the perfect pass for winger David Williams to race away for a try which Mike Venables converted.

It left the Blues 19-3 ahead at the interval, with Emlyn seething over a disallowed try for Wayne Parsons. He clearly grounded a clever chip ahead but the referee was unsighted.

Haverfordwest lost flanker Dafydd Bowen with 90 seconds of the restart for a late tackle on Harries, who reduced the deficit soon afterwards with his second penalty.

But the visitors' hopes of a come-back were dented when the Blues claimed a fourth try as Thicker put Marc Jones away and the fly half did well to reach the line.

It says much for Emlyn's commitment that Gareth Clifford kept his pack going and they grabbed a deserved score from a concerted drive where flanker Tristan Davies emerged to claim an unconverted try.

Haverfordwest finished the stronger, though, as Graham Jenkins, Tom Slater, Lewis, Busch, Bowen and Thicker claimed good possession and Marc Jones stretched the visiting cover with beautifully-timed long passes.

The first released Ceri Jones on the left for the winger to slip the scoring pass inside to centre Jonathan Venables as reward for all his unsung work, and the second saw Bowen and Thicker pop up in midfield before Thicker put Darren Salmon away on a run where Ceri Jones applied the clinical winger's finish from the last move of the match.