Keys stay on winning streak as Bargoed draw blank

CROSS KEYS made it eight wins on the trot in all competitions after they shut out Bargoed at Pandy Park.

Nathan Trowbridge, Ieaun Jones and Barney Nightingale crossed for tries in the comfortable win with outside-half Josh Prosser booting seven points.

Keys have been the infrom side since the turn of the year. They lost their first game of 2017, 11-0 to Ebbw Vale, but since that disappointment, they have not looked back.

The Gwent side now have four successive Tier Two wins, and strung together three National Cup victories, where they will play Pontypridd in the semi-finals.

Things had looked dismal for Keys after missing out on Tier One rugby, and narrowly missing out on a Foster’s Cup semifinal, but are now well on track for a successful season.

Bargoed put up a stubborn fight, but fell to their third straight loss after beginning the year brightly.

A scrappy start saw the game remain in the balance, but Trowbridge broke the deadlock with a try in the corner midway through the first-half after Prosser’s precise kick greeted the wing.

Prosser missed the extras, and soon Bargoed went close through David Evans and Keiron Brown who were both held short. Prosser added a penalty to ensure the hosts led at the break.

After the interval, the Keys came out firing and made the most of a Bulls knock on, bagging a try through former Newport Gwent Dragons No.8 Jones with Prosser this time good with the extras.

Bargoed failed to offer much resistance and went down to 14 when Jack Williams was sin-binned at the scrum.

Nightingale capitalised by sliding at the posts for the third try, before Duane Dyer saw red at the death for the visitors after apparent abusive language. Star man Barney Nightingale - Cross Keys