Division 3 west
Tregaron 9 Cardigan 12
Two excellent tries helped secure the bragging rights for Cardigan in the Ceredigion derby at Tregaron but the difficult conditions and wet and windy weather made life very tough for both teams.
Unusually there were no points scored in the second half although the hosts were forced to defend resiliently as Tregaron came at them for long periods and John Lumb and his team did very well to keep them out.
It was the home side that opened the scoring when full back Huw Bonner slotted over a penalty after an infringement at the breakdown and Cardigan were under huge pressure with none better for them than hard tackling blind side Tom Taylor.
Bonner added a second penalty midway through the half following another indiscretion at the breakdown by the Cardi’s but this seemed to spark some life into the visitor’s backline aided by greater accuracy at the set piece.
Cardigan took a tight grip on the game and scored two quality tries within three minutes, with the first of these coming from right winger Rhydian Jenkins. The second of these was a real cracker by fullback and captain Lumb on the half hour with the latter converted by Iwan John to take Cardigan into a slim 12-6 lead.
Tregaron responded almost immediately when Cardigan once again gave away a soft penalty and Bonner took the half time score to 12-9.
The second half was all about defence and for long periods Cardigan showed great resolve and mental toughness as Tregaron, who showed a greater willingness to play attacking rugby came at them but they were never able to find that that cutting edge and accuracy to break down a rock solid visiting defence.
The second half was scoreless with Cardigan just about deserving the win with Tregaron bagging the losing bonus point.
One player to stand out once again was teenage outside half Iwan John for his game management whilst John Lumb also impressed with his attacking flair in such difficult conditions. Back rowers Taylor and Gruff Lewis also excelled and this first league win of the season, which follows a couple of close defeats, will boost confidence in the Cardigan ranks.
