NEWPORT remain anchored to the bottom of the Principality Premiership table after they were humiliated by Gwent rivals Bedwas at Rodney Parade.

They were battered by the excellent visitors who kept their play-off hopes alive with a devastating second half performance that blew the home side away at Rodney Parade.

The Black and Ambers are now seven points adrift at the bottom of the table having amassed just 18 points in 16 games.

Bedwas outscored Newport by six tries to two and the gulf between the two sides was fairly reflected in the 28-point difference between them.

The visitors’ outside half Richard Powell opened the scoring with a penalty and he extended their lead to 6-0 soon after with another after the hosts were reduced to 14 men with prop David Young’s yellow card after a big fist fight between several forwards.

Full back Geraint O’Driscoll should have got the Black and Ambers on the scoreboard with a straight forward penalty, only for his effort to rebound off an upright.

The visitors capitalised when they went down other end of the field and scored an unconverted try after wing Matthew John brushed off some weak tackling to rub salt in the wound.

A fine individual try by scrum half Owen Davies got the hosts right back into it after he sprinted home almost unopposed from a ruck, O’Driscoll’s conversion made it 11-7 after 22 minutes.

Another punch up saw Bedwas tighthead Matthew Pettit sin binned ten minutes later, but it didn’t effect Steve Law’s men too much because wing Rory Budina crossed in the corner for his side’s second unconverted try as the half ended with Bedwas nine points up.

O’Driscoll missed another fairly straight forward penalty as Newport laboured to get back into the game but the sharper and more capable Bedwas blew them apart in the second half.

Scrum half Luke Crane made a devastating break to set up a glorious second try for Budina, Powell converting to make it 23-7.

The visitors ended the game as a contest in the 62nd minute when centre Aaron Pinches crossed after some woeful defence by the hosts, again Powell added the conversion.

Bedwas were making line breaks almost at will and Pinches crossed for his second after some excellent play by some more razor sharp play by their back division.

Newport back row forward Sam Feehan crossed for a consolation converted try for the hosts before replacement scrum half Andrew Quick was yellow carded for a punch.

There was still time for wing John to cross for his second unconverted score to completed the rout.

Newport: G O’Driscoll; Ll Ap Myrddin, N Edwards, D Franchi, E Frewen; J Mogg (C Rees 59), O Davies (A Quick 75); J Greenfield, Andrew Brown (E Whitson 60), D Young, Adam Brown (capt), D Partridge, R Gibbon (J Monck 12-21, L Jenkins 64), R Jenkins, S Feehan.

Replacements: D Pattison, J Lewis.

Newport scorers: Tries – Davies (22), Feehan (75), Conversions – O’Driscoll (22) (75).

Bedwas: S Thomas, R Budina, H Thomson (M Callow 61), A Pinches, M John, R Powell (J Maynard 64), L Crane; B Toms, A Rees, M Pettit (J Mills 43), P Rees (capt), J Walker, J Sawyer, G Lee, D Mattravers (D Preece 36-43, Crimmins 55).

Replacements: R Hutcherson, S Grainger, G Hutcherson, Bedwas scorers: Tries – John (20) (80), Budina (34) (55), Aaron Pinches (62) (66), Conversions – Powell (55) (62), Maynard (66), Penalties – Powell (7) (11).

Referee: Craig Evans (WRU)