WITH the spectre of relegation looming in the background for both sides it was Bedwas who emerged victorious over Cross Keys after another exciting Premiership encounter at Pandy Park.

The hosts at least picked up a try bonus but were denied a losing bonus point after the visitors kicked a late penalty.

Keys were destroyed in the scrum and made a hatful of basic errors near the end of the game as they looked to salvage a win after leading 17-3 in the opening minutes following a dream start.

The visitors went ahead in the first minute when their full-back Joe Scrivens nailed a penalty but that was soon cancelled out by the hosts’ outside-half Jason Tovey.

The Keys No 10 was instrumental in his side’s opening score when a clever pass inside put wing Rory Budina in under the posts for a converted try.

They scored another seven-pointer from the restart when number eight Garin Price ran in almost unopposed as the home side hit Bedwas for a bizarre breakaway try.

Despite having Wales international loosehead Ryan Bevington in their front row, the Keys scrum was under terrible pressure.

Bedwas battled their way back into the game after wing George Gasson tore through the opposition defence and the ball was recycled to allow scrum-half Tom Rowlands to literally jog in for a converted try.

They equalised when openside flanker Nathan Hudd crossed for a converted try off the back of another dominant scrum to make it 17-17 after 33 minutes.

Bedwas took the lead just before half-time when Rowlands cleverly took a quick tap penalty to catch Keys napping and sprint home for his side’s third try which was again converted by Scrivens to give them a seven-point lead at the interval.

It took Keys just three minutes of the second half before they regained the lead after centre Srdan Majkic powered over for a converted try.

They went 34-24 up and got the try bonus point in the bag with a lovely touchdown after Tovey and Price combined brilliantly before the number eight bagged his second try with the former converting handsomely from the touchline.

Bedwas hit back again when their dominant scrum earned them a penalty try, and a bonus point, and Scrivens brought them back on equal terms with a penalty in the 57th minute.

They had their noses ahead with just under a quarter of an hour to go when Gasson touched down from a kick ahead.

The trusty Scrivens converted and his 79th minute penalty was a real kick in the guts for Morgan Stoddart’s men.

Cross Keys: W Kelly (D Williams 65), R Budina, L Andrews, S Majkic, J Goodchild, J Tovey, D Babos (O Leonard 65), R Bevington (S Hoskins 62), C Vaughan (Z Hewlett 54), R Cornock (T Hansen 31), Damian Welch (capt), T Lampard, I Duffy (T James 59), J Thomas (J Carling 72), G Price.

Cross Keys scorers: Tries: R Budina, G Price (2), S Majkic; Cons: J Tovey (4); Pens: J Tovey (2)

Bedwas: J Scrivens, K Teear-Bourge (J Chilcott 56), T Hoppe, L Bowden, G Gasson, D McIntosh (M Callow 29), T Rowlands, B Toms (C Budgen 72), A Rees (capt) (D Rogers 78), R Hutcherson (S Cochrane 72), G Allen (L Beer 78), C Hudd, J Richards (S Parry 70), N Hudd, J Thomas.

Bedwas scorers: Tries: T Rowlands (2), N Hudd, G Gasson, Penalty try; Cons: J Scrivens (4), Pens: J Scrivens (3)

Argus star man: Garin Price