Raiders fall short after Bears get off to a flyer

WEST Wales Raiders went down to a 36-10 defeat at home to Coventry Bears in Betfred League 1.

It was a gutsy display by the Llanelli-based side, but the Bears proved too clinical in attack as they left Stebonheath Park with six tries.

A brace of tries in the opening quarter from prop Peter Ryan paved the way for their success, though the Raiders had several bright moments in an entertaining contest.

The visitors made a fine start after forcing an error from Raiders half-back Rangi Chase and they capitalised when Chris Cullimore fed Ryan to crash over from close range. Dan Coates converted.

The Bears went close to adding to their lead before finally stretching their advantage in the 21st minute. And it was almost a carbon copy of the first score, with Ryan on hand to take another smart pass from Cullimore to barge over. Coates again added the extras to put his side 12-0 ahead.

But the Raiders hit back five minutes later when a double dummy from Chase tricked centre Liam Welham into a defensive mistake and it left a gap for Marcus Webb to score an unconverted try.

And only a try-saving tackle from Reece Rance denied the Raiders a second score as the Welsh outfit found their rhythm.

But the Bears weathered the storm and extended their lead when Coates created a try for wing AJ Towse.

And they bagged their fourth try before the interval when Welham cleverly sidestepped his way past a defender before touching down. Coates again converted.

The Raiders, backed by a strong wind in the second half, began with a bang and reduced the deficit when Daf Phillips went over.

It triggered a period of pressure from the Raiders, but the Coventry defence refused to buckle and eventually began to turn the tide.

And the visitors began to turn the screw during the closing stages.

Coates landed a penalty and the Bears went over for their fifth try when Welham chipped over the defence, it was hacked forward again and the ball bounced into the hands of Nathan Hill, who strolled over. Coates converted.

Kieran Sherratt scored the final try of the game, with Coates again converting.

The Raiders make the trip to Yorkshire on Sunday to face Doncaster.