A healthy run in the Konica Welsh Cup now beckons for Tenby United after they saw off the challenge of visiting Penygroes on Saturday. The Division Five visitors came with the reputation of being one of the strongest sides in the lower divisions and for long periods played with a spirit and tenacity that belied their lowly status. In fact, two late tries from the Seasiders made the final score look much more decisive than had looked likely for much of the encounter. On a perfect afternoon for expansive rugby, the home side began brightly, some concerted drives from the home eight punching holes in the Penygroes midfield. The powerful Justin Richards showed up well on a number of occasions making good yardage. After one such drive, the home pack cleared the ruck well, only for the visitors to deliberately kill the ball. Referee Martin Lewis had no hesitation in awarding a penalty directly in front of the posts. Stand-off Scott Mcloughlin made no mistake from bang on the 22 to give the home side the early advantage. This seemed to galvanise the visitors who hit back strongly with some dynamic forward play of their own. The home eight had to resort to some desperate defensive work, with open-side Harry Bolton tackling as if his life depended upon it. After Pen had missed a pot at goal, United put themselves under more pressure. Alex Watt gathered a high ball well within his own 22 and was awarded the mark. But his attempt to take a quick tap backfired when Mr. Lewis adjudged that he had taken it from the wrong spot and awarded a scrum to the visitors. The home eight stood firm, however, and some resolute defence saw the visitors concede a penalty for holding on at the ruck. As the first quarter drew to a close, Penygroes crafted a fine try to put them in front for the first time. A fine outside break by the visiting fly-half left Scott Mcloughlin for dead. The Pen fullback hit the line at pace and fed the left wing who rounded off a fine score in the shadow of the posts. Pen's outside centre added the extras, the ball flying over off the left-hand upright. The Seasiders realised that they were in a game and once again threw everything into attack, gaining a foothold in the visitors' 22. A succession of drives sucked in the Pen defences before the ball was spread right, but the home side was kept at bay and had to make do with a scrum five metres out. The home supporters were anticipating a score that would put the Seasiders back in front, but the United were guilty of trying to push the play too hard and too quickly rather than building phases and a chance was lost due to some sloppy handling. With 10 minutes left of the first period, the home side found themselves deep in Pen territory. A superb eight-man shove destroyed the visiting scrummage and earned the United a penalty well within Mcloughlin's range. The stand-off shunned the three points, however, and opted for a kick for the corner. The home eight secured the ball well from the ensuing lineout and used the strength of their forwards to muscle their way to within a few metres of the line. From one of these drives, the ball was shipped to Harry Bolton, who came in at pace and sliced through the defences for a well-taken score. Mcloughlin made it a seven-pointer from just to the right of the sticks. Far from building on this platform, however, the United once again put themselves on the back foot, conceding lineout possession and allowing the visitors to kick ahead. The United were then penalised for not releasing on the floor. Pen took a quick tap and used their forwards to good effect, muscling their way over five metres to the right of the posts. The conversion was a formality, restoring the visitors' four-point cushion. The nip and tuck nature of the first 40 minutes continued, with the pendulum swinging back in the home side's favour. Forwards and threequarters combined well to set up a superb attacking position in the shadow of the Pen posts. The visitors' fullback cynically prevented the Seasiders from releasing the ball from a ruck just a few metres out and was shown the yellow card for his troubles. Chris James picked up a blood injury in the phases leading up to this, Gareth Edwards taking over as short-term replacement. United earned a scrum that offered attacking options on both sides. The forwards decided that they were going to seize the initiative, rolling off the back and allowing blindside flanker Justin Richards to cross for the score. Mcloughlin converted to give the home side a narrow half-time lead. Within two minutes of the re-start, Chris James was back on for Gareth Edwards, having been suitably patched up. The home side seized the early initiative and made the ideal start to the second 40. Securing turnover ball at a ruck, Justin Richards once again set up the platform with a powerful drive. His fellow forwards cleaned out effectively to set up an overlap that Alex Watt seized upon for the score wide out on the left. Mcloughlin struck the conversion attempt well, but it drifted wide of the posts, leaving the United two scores clear at 22-14. That cushion was soon wiped out, though, when the Pen eight put pressure on the homesters deep in their 22. Chris James was penalised for a high tackle and received a yellow card for his trouble. The visiting outside centre slotted the three-pointer to reduce the deficit. Eight minutes into the second half, Paul Broaders was replaced by Gareth Edwards as the Seasiders looked to ensure they had lineout options during James's period in the bin. United continued to press and try to extend their lead, but they were guilty of squandering a number of chances. Neil Powling was guilty on one such occasion when he chose to chip ahead when he appeared to have support options on either side. Coach Gareth Thomas decided to ring the changes and bring on fresh legs for the last 25 minutes, Robert James, Michael Lewis and Mark Badham coming on for Simon Griffiths, Nicky Guymer and D. Rees. Chris James was soon back on after his 10 minutes on the sidelines, but not before the United had been reduced to 14 once again. Another high tackle saw Mr. Lewis reaching for his pocket once again as Scot Mcloughlin had a spell in the bin. The next few minutes saw the scrappiest phase of play in the whole match, with neither side really having the edge. The United coaching team would have been a little concerned, however, as the visitors cut the gap to two points with a simple penalty after Tenby had been accused of boring in at a scrum. The Seasiders were soon back in the ascendancy after great work from Chris James. He made excellent ground before athletically tapping back to namesake Robert in the unaccustomed position of winger. James made great inroads into Pen territory, with fine support from the home eight. The visitors were penalised for not releasing the ball on the ground and Neil Powling slotted over the penalty. The five-point gap soon became eight when Powling added his second penalty of the afternoon after Alex Watt had been tackled late. Once again, however, the Seasiders let a two-score cushion slip within a minute of having it. Mark Brace failed to catch the Pen re-start and the ball was gathered in front of the prop by the home forwards, giving the referee no choice but to award the penalty. With 10 minutes remaining, the match could have gone either way, even though most of the home supporters felt that the Seasiders should have wrapped up the result much earlier. Thankfully, the United went up a couple of gears in the closing stages as their superior fitness told. Some fine handling by the home threes released pacy winger Davids, who touched down under the posts making the conversion a formality for Mcloughlin. Some sensible percentage kicking from Powling and Mcloughlin kept the visitors penned in their own 22 and ensured that they would have to run the ball from deep to put the Seasiders under further pressure. From one such grubber kick, Pen made a real hash of their own lineout and gifted the ball to the United. The ball was recycled well by the home eight and allowed prop Mark Brace to cross for a popular score. Mcloughlin converted from the left of the posts to make the final score of 42-23 appear a little flattering to the home side. This was a hard-earned victory for the United, who had to overcome a Penygroes outfit that were clearly intent on achieving something of a cup shock. Gareth Thomas and the coaching team will be pleased at the maturity shown by the United, particularly in the closing stages, in closing down the match and securing what was ultimately a comfortable victory. Match sponsors were Mr. Mike Fry, Cambrian Hotel; Rob Morgan, Electrical Contractor; and Ian Roberts, The Red Cow, Aberdare. The match ball sponsor was Mr. Mike Webb. Match day mascot for the United was Jake Vickery. The Tenby side (with player sponsors) was as follows: Alex Watt (Mulberry Restaurant, Saundersfoot); A. Davids (Belvedere Nursing Home); Dai Meyrick (Andrew Goofy Brace, Garden Contractor and Maintenance); N. Powling (Anne and Jeremy Rossiter, Londis Stores, Manorbier); D. Rees (Belvedere Nursing Home) (rep. Robert James); Scott Mcloughlin (Baytree Restaurant, Tenby); Andrew Davies (N. D.Toy and Partners Ltd., Independent Financial Advisors & Mortgage Brokers); Mark Brace (Lewis, Lewis and Co. Solicitors); Nicky Guymer (Johnathan Boot, Lydstep) (rep. Michael Lewis); Simon Griffiths (Mulberry Restaurant, Saundersfoot) (rep. Mark Badham); Paul Broaders (Harry Smith, Brindley Smith Associates, Utility Auditors); Chris James (Clarence Hotel, Tenby); Justin Richards (Clarence Hotel, Tenby); Harry Bolton (Gavin and Dudley Scotcher, Capital Roasters Coffee Company; Anthony Griffiths, capt., (Mike Brace Home Maintenance Service).