CROSS Keys moved up two places to fourth after they edged their big Gwent rivals Ebbw Vale in a humdinger of a Principality Premiership derby.

The crowd at Eugene Cross Park were treated to a magnificent feast of rugby which was a tremendous advert for the league.

The visitors deserved to win but they were given an all mighty scare by the Steelmen whose late rally in the last ten minutes threatened to overturn a 26-8 Keys lead.

Keys had made a great start and took the lead after three minutes through a penalty by full back Ethan Davies against his old club.

It would, as it turned out, prove to be the difference between the two sides.

The visitors got the better of the early exchanges and their pressure was converted into more points after 12 minutes when lock Scott Andrew scored a cracking try after his side had shown patience and passed crisply along the line to exploit an overlap.

Davies' conversion made it 10-0.

With Keys disrupting Vale possession stream by winning their lineouts, primarily through lock Tom Lampard, the hosts were finding it hard to gain a foothold in the game.

The Pandy Park side could have gone further ahead but were turned over when they looked to have Ebbw on the rack in the 25th minute from just five metres out.

And it was the home side who scored next with an amazing touchdown.

We can probably forget any other on the shortlist for try of the season, because Ryan Gardner's is unlikely to be beaten.

It was scored after Vale counter attacked from under the shadow of their own posts after prop Leon Brown had coughed the ball over.

A sweeping move, which Keys so nearly snuffed out, saw the wing, making his first start of the campaign, crash over despite some desperate last-ditch tackling.

Some home fans might tell you it could rival Gareth Edwards' for the Barbarians against the All Blacks in 1973.

No 10 Iain Smerdon's conversion hammered home the sucker punch and it was 10-8 with just over half an hour's play when it could so easily have been 18-0 to Keys.

The visitors should have hit back almost immediately but they were penalised for a double movement.

Smerdon could have equalised just before half-time with a long range penalty, but if fell short and Keys held their two-point lead going into the interval.

After an excellent first half, the game got even better it the second.

Davies broke the deadlock when he tore through the Steelmen defence with just over a quarter of the encounter to go, his extras giving Keys a ten-point buffer.

Ebbw nearly scored another corker but they were denied a try as they knocked on going over the line.

It was Keys' turn to strike with a sucker punch after they hit Vale with their own sublime try from deep after openside flanker Scott Matthews broke before the excellent Lampard put Davies over for his second touchdown of the afternoon, his conversion making it 26-8 in the 66th minute and the player ending up with 20 points for the day.

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Gardner gave the Steelmen hope with a sweet try with seven minutes to go, again converted by Smerdon.

Vale threw complete caution to the wind and were rewarded when replacement back Chris Leversley crossed for another sublime converted try with just two minutes to go, setting up a grandstand finish.

It was heart-stopping stuff but Keys just about held on to take the spoils from a magnificent clash, a real credit to both sides.

Ebbw Vale: Daniel Haymond (Chris Levesley 55), David Williams, Jordan Howells, Adam Jones (Owen Williams 70), Ryan Gardner; Iain Smerdon, Thomas Edwards (Chris Thomas 55); Ross Jones (Ian George 55), Mathew Williams Joe Franchi 74), Robert Sevenoaks (Gethin Robinson 47); Damien Hudd (capt), Rhys Clarke (Joe Bartlett 7-13, 26); Harrison Keddie, Ronny Kynes (Luke Crocker 55), Ethan Doyle.

Scorers: Tries: Ryan Gardner (2), Chris Leversley, Conversions: Iain Smerdon (3).

Cross Keys: Ethan Davies, Polu Uhi, Leon Andrews (capt), Angus O'Brien (Owen Howe 35), Lloyd Lewis, Josh Prosser, James Leadbeater, Luke Garrett (Richard Cornock 72), Darren Hughes, Leon Brown (Anthony Lott 75), Scott Andrews (Dan Hodge 72), Tom Lampard, Ieuan Jones, Scott Matthews, Adam Powell (Reuben Tucker 74).

Replacements: Ellis Shipp, Matthew Powell, Curtis Povey.

Scorers: Tries: Scott Andrews, Ethan Davies (2), Conversions: Ethan Davies (3), Penalty: Ethan Davies.

Referee: Ian Davies (WRU).

Argus star man: Tom Lampard.