Whitland 10 pts. Carmarthen Athletic 5

Intelligent use of a strong wind advantage in the first half, resolute defence after the interval, combined with the decision to retain possession in the closing stages inside the Red and Blacks half, gave the Borderers their second local derby scalp in the space of a week.

This excellent win in a close contest has taken Whitland to pole position in the Division One West table.

The wind gusting downfield from the Whitland bypass made handling and kicking out of hand both difficult to judge, in a low scoring encounter where both sides appreciated that any unforced error could prove fatal in terms of the match result.

The first try came after eight minutes when Whitland full-back Scott Newton chipped ahead and winger Will Davies burst clear to pick up the ball to score a try in the left corner.

Scott Newton held his nerve with a testing touchline conversion attempt to give his team the welcome bonus of two more points.

The only other score during the first half, when neither side was prepared to concede an inch, was a well judged penalty kick by Newton midway through the half from 40 metres, to give the Borderers a lead of 10 points at the interval.

In the early stages of the second half, Carmarthen Athletic outside-half David Lakin attempted to kick a penalty from 40 metres, but the ball drifted tantalisingly to the right of the posts.

When young Whitland flanker Tom Dinan received a yellow card after 18 minutes, it gave the visitors the advantage of an extra man, which they used to good effect.

A broken play move enabled the Red and Blacks to move the ball quickly from left to right along the line and winger Pan Rashesha, who had been looking for the ball all afternoon, finished off the move.

He made the most of this half chance as he used his pace to race up the right touchline, to get away from the covering defence and touchdown in the right corner for a try.

It went unconverted as David Lakin was unable to overcome the wind which made place kicking something of a lottery.

The Red and Blacks monopolised most of the second half possession, but apart from the solitary try, the Borderers weathered the storm with outstanding defence, which proved impregnable when parity in numbers was restored.

Just as importantly, when the Borderers got inside the visitors' 22 during the closing stages, the senior members of the side used their experience to retain possession until the final whistle.

Speaking after the match, Borderers spokesman Richard Merriman said: "It was a hard fought game between two good packs on a heavy pitch. We used the wind in the first half and took the try well.

"In the second half our defence was superb, just as it was the previous week at Narberth."

Red and Blacks team manager Stuart Harris said: "The result was disappointing in view of the amount of possession and territory that we had and we just could not put points on the board.

"In fairness to Whitland, they took the chances created to score points.

"Perhaps we could have played the territorial game a bit more in the second half, but we are a young side with an average age of 21 and the whole pack played well as a unit."

In a committed performance by the whole team, Whitland number eight Ryan Michael had an excellent game and experienced lock David Ebsworth played a key role in negating the Carmarthen Athletic rolling maul, which proved less effective in the last quarter than it had in the earlier stages of the match.

Team captain Andrew Jenkins had an outstanding game and was at his best in acting as the link between the pack and the backs, issuing instructions and in using his playing ability to control match tactics.

For the visitors, there were good individual displays by number eight Steff Phillips, hooker Gethin Robinson, prop Tom Sloane and the Carmarthen Athletic pack as a unit.

Match sponsors Davies Brothers, of St. Clears, Molson Coors and Carmarthenshire Tyre Services selected Whitland scrum-half and captain Andrew Jenkins as man-of-the-match.

Team sponsors were Bancyfelin Choir, Whitland Ladies, Whitland Cricket Club, Freeman & Rosser Dental Practice, Carmarthen, Davies Crane Hire and Whitland Die Hards.

Match ball sponsors were Stuart Harris, Electrician, St. Clears, Hefin Thomas Plant Hire, Paul Rogers, Allen & Partners, Veterinary Surgeons, Whitland, Ron Mounsey, of McDonalds, and K. P. Thomas & Son, Templeton.

Whitland fielded: Scott Newton, Mike Georgiou, Gary Evans, Lee Glanville, Will Davies, Jonathan Thomas, Andrew Jenkins (capt.), Richard Smith, Marc Jones, Rhodri West, Rhys Jones, David Ebsworth Dylan Richards, Tom Dinan and Ryan Michael.

Replacements: Huw Rees, Nico Setaro, Jack Mason, Aled Richards, Aled Harries and Andrew Davies.