CROSS Keys got their Tier Two campaign in the mid-season Premiership revamp off to a winning start after a hard fought victory over Llanelli at Pandy Park, writes Iwan Gabe Davies.

The Gwent Valleys outfit just about deserved their victory after a shocker of a game that at least had a thrilling climax, the match going down right to the wire.

Success for Keys meant they recorded yet another recent double over the West Wales club.

The visitors started well and took the lead after seven minutes when fly-half Ian Brooks kicked a penalty, Keys No 8 Ieuan Jones yellow carded for stopping scrum-half Matthew Flanagan taking a quick tap and go.

The hosts fought back but couldn’t put points on the board despite dominating territory and possession for the next quarter of an hour or so, their scrum struggling and No 10 Josh Prosser missing a kickable shot at goal.

Both sides gamely tried to run the ball and make a spectacle of the first half, but handling errors and poor decision-making at times meant promising beginnings didn’t end well.

Brooks should have put his side 6-0 up after 33 minutes with his second penalty, but missed a sitter.

Prosser slotted over a penalty in the last movement of a disappointing half ended with the score locked at 3-3.

Things didn’t get much better in the second half as mistakes came thick and fast, the home side dominating most of the third quarter but unable to put their noses ahead.

But they got the break they just about deserved when a second Prosser penalty gave them a three-point advantage with 13 minutes to go.

The Parc y Scarlets men battled upfield and won a penalty which Brooks calmly slotted to make things all square with two minutes to go.

But almost straight from the restart, the visitors conceded a penalty and Prosser too showed he had what it takes under pressure to regain the lead with his third successful kick to nick it at the end.

Cross Keys: L Andrews, M Powell, L Barnett, B Nightingale (P Williams 59), J Goodchild, J Prosser, O Leonard (J Leadbeater 57), L Smout, D Hughes (capt), R Cornock, D Hodge (T Lampard 57), S Andrews, A Powell (S Matthews 37-39), R Fitzgerald (S Matthews 45), I Jones.

Cross Keys scorers: Penalties – J Prosser 3

Llanelli: L Randell, R Davies (L Thomas 73), N Edwards, P Davies, G Jones, I Brooks, M Flanagan (S Maynard 69), D Jacobs (C Thomas 77), G George (D Phillips 77), T Kaijaks (R Bassett 75), A Powell (capt), B Davies (J Davies 67), C Long, L Pike (N Hart 67), T Lloyd

Llanelli scorers: Penalties – I Brooks 2

Referee: Aled Evans

Argus star man: Josh Prosser