Division 1 West

Gowerton 20 Crymych 21

Crymych pulled off one of their greatest escapes in recent years when they came back from the dead to defeat Gowerton with a last gasp penalty from fly half Rhys Davies.

Davies, a talented number ten, missed a few crucial penalties the previous weekend against Ceredigion rivals Aberystwyth but he made up for this in style when he calmly slotted the ball between the sticks to seal what had seemed a very unlikely win.

The Preselimen who were missing several key players found themselves 20-6 adrift midway through the second half but their superior fitness saw them mount a tremendous fight back and they finished very strongly with their forwards in the shape of skipper Tom Powell and number eight Guto Davies leading by example.

It was Rhys Davies who opened the visitors account when he chipped over a penalty but the hosts responded when Crymych number eight Davies charged down a kick but the ball bounced into the path of hooker Chris Jones and he sped away and scored a try. Another try followed when Gowerton number eight Ryan Davies barged his way over with the Crymych side caught ball watching and this was converted by Charlie Jones. Visiting fly half Davies added another penalty but a third try came soon afterwards when centre Gareth Bowen crossed the white wash and Crymych looked almost dead and buried at 17-6 down at half time.

Gowerton extended their lead just a few minutes into the second half and they spent a long period pummelling away at the Crymych try line, but some outstanding tackling through the likes of Rhys Davies,Dion Gibby, Ifan James and Tomos Lewis kept them out and this seemed to galvanise the visitors and they hit back with a try for centre Jake Jenkins, back in action following suspension. This was followed by a try from Nick Bevan which was set up by a cross kick from fly half Davies that bounced handily into the arms of the winger to put Crymych in sight of their opponents at 20-16. The conversion from Davies put the visitors within two points of the Swansea side and an away win now looked very much on the cards.

With just a few minutes to go and the home side notably tiring, Crymych were awarded a penalty in the home twenty-two metre area in exactly the same range as one he missed last week against Aberystwyth but on this occasion Davies was on target, much to the relief of his team mates and this capped a fine individual performance for him and a superb win for the Preselimen.

This win, which was a first for new coach Neil Machin keeps Crymych in fifth place just a few points adrift of the teams above them. Next up is a local derby against Whitland on December 17.

MATCH REPORT - http://sportsline.wales/2016/12/great-escape-crymych/