CENTRAL A

PORTHCAWL ............... 50 ABERCRAVE ................. 0

PORTHCAWL started the New Year with a double over visiting Abercrave with a devastating second half display and therein lies the story of this match.

The visitors will wonder how they did so well to frustrate the home side with a committed and competent display in the first half, with their pack doing well in most phases and their attack threatening at times.

On a dry but bitterly cold afternoon, it was fully 30 minutes before Porthcawl managed to conjure up the first score of the match as their pressure in the Abercrave 22 saw flanker Ben Asprea add further to his season’s try tally by finishing off a powerful drive. The returning Josh White, back after a long layoff, added the extras for 7-nil.

When scrum-half Ben Thomas nabbed the second try just before the break, again improved by White’s conversion, 14-nil was at least some return on Porthcawl’s workmanlike efforts.

The first half proceedings suggested that the best way for Porthcawl to outplay the visitors in the second half was to surely move Abercrave’s huge, heavy pack around the field, which the Seaweeds took to with aplomb.

With playmaker Jon Phillips back from injury at fullback to inspire Porthcawl and Aled davies, returned from Maesteg, the home backs took to the task with some incisive play. However it was a forward, No 8 Leon McNally, outstanding throughout the match, who got the next try as he won the race for Jordan