Tenby Utd 49 pts.

Milford Haven 16

A five-try second half onslaught saw Coastal Cottages sponsored Tenby United complete the double over near neighbours Milford at a balmy Heywood Lane on Saturday.

Going into the game, the Mariners were riding high in second place in Division Four West, but they were brought down to earth with an almighty bump as the Seasiders enjoyed a second half rout.

The early exchanges gave nothing to suggest the second half try fest that was to come and, in fact, the visitors were very much in contention after 40 minutes. They appeared to have a slight edge at scrum time and their abrasive back row did their best to disrupt any Tenby possession.

But the home side was the first to show any attacking intent, some fine work down the right flank from Dai Meyrick and fullback Dan Colley leading to a penalty after Mariners number eight Mark Wonnacott was penalised for going off his feet at the ruck. Stand-off Tom Lewis started a fine afternoon with the boot, stroking over a magnificent 40-metre goal to give the Seasiders an early lead.

Colley looked sharp in the opening quarter and almost made it to the try line in the right-hand corner. The Tenby eight recycled well and moved the ball left, but a clear overlap was wasted by the usually reliable Sam Smith and, after the movement slowed, loose-head Scott Payne was penalised for holding on the floor.

The United advantage soon doubled, though, as Lewis was given the opportunity for a second strike at goal and he never looked like missing, slotting the ball through the uprights from 35 metres.

The United seemed to be in control now, playing a sensible game and gaining territory thanks to some probing Lewis kicks. But the Mariners had clearly come to force a victory and sneaked into the lead with the opening try of the game after 25 minutes.

A period of concerted pressure from the visitors saw the United concede a succession of penalties and from a scrum-five, powerful centre Dean Matthews crashed through some weak Tenby tackling to score under the posts. Stand-off Leigh Broome made no mistake with the conversion to give the visitors a narrow lead.

Tenby looked to hit back immediately and gained a foothold deep in Milford territory after skipper Harry Bolton claimed superb tail of the line possession. The marauding open-side gained a second lineout take, his fellow forwards driving on and feeding Nicky Guymer. The hooker showed a deft touch to flick the ball back inside for Timoci 'Big Jim' Kaumaitotoya to surge under the posts for a score that Lewis converted, making it 13-7.

The visitors bounced back bravely and were given a chance to close the gap by referee John Griffiths after Harry Bolton was adjudged to have had his hands in the ruck. Broome stepped up and put over a well-judged kick to leave the gap at just three points at the interval.

That was to be Bolton's last action of the afternoon as he was replaced by Rob James for the second period.

The second half opened as an almost carbon copy of the first, with Dan Colley's pace terrorising the visitors' defences. The United did well to retain possession and find the powerful Sam Cataki, who set off on a fine solo run, brushing off would-be tacklers to score in the shadow of the uprights. Lewis converted to give the United a 10-point cushion.

But just as the Seasiders looked to pull away, the Mariners chipped away at their lead. They were awarded successive penalties after the home front row was found guilty of boring in at scrum time and from the second, Leigh Broome put over his third successful kick of the afternoon to leave the score at 20-13.

Robbie Clarke replaced Scott Payne on the loose-head and he was to have quite an impact as the game progressed.

Sam Cataki was eager for work after his opening try and after some good work on the left, he fed Colley who was not quite able to find centre Alex Watt or another try would have been on the cards. Watt was back in the fray soon after with a powerful midfield charge that earned the United a penalty that they chipped to the corner.

Although the lineout was lost, Tenby worked hard to regain possession and turned it over effectively with a massive scrum close to the Mariners line. Number eight Sam Smith didn't need a second invitation and picked up from the base to power over in the corner for a trademark score. Lewis converted beautifully from the touchline to make the advantage 14 points.

Almost predictably, though, the visitors chipped the lead back by three points after Jonny Lane, who had another impressive game in the loose, was pinged for a technical offence at a lineout and Broome slotted over the penalty.

But from a Milford perspective, that was as good as it got and Tom Lewis restored the 14-point cushion almost immediately after the Seasiders were spotted shirt-pulling.

But now it was all about a potential bonus point and the Seasiders set about their business, Robbie Clarke putting his opponent under enormous pressure at the scrum situation. From one 10 metres out, Sam Smith picked up and was able to find Nicky Guymer, who cruised over for the vital bonus point score.

For once Lewis missed the conversion and Guymer was able to take a breather, replaced by Terry John for the closing stages.

The Seasiders were rampant now and Milford's discipline started to desert them. From a well executed lineout, Tom Lewis received quick off-the-top ball and ghosted through a huge gap in the visitors' defences, touching down under the posts without a hand being laid on him. The conversion took the United past 40 points.

But they weren't finished yet and with Simon Stanford on for Dai Meyrick, they looked to move the ball at every opportunity. A quick tap penalty saw Lewis launch a perfect flat pass that saw Alex Watt steam over the whitewash for a score that his work-rate merited. Lewis slotted the extra two points to round off a superb afternoon for the United.

This victory in their final home league fixture of the campaign will have given the United great confidence as they go for the final promotion push. But as a result of earlier postponements, they will face no less than five away fixtures on the bounce, including fellow promotion chasers Tumble and Pontarddulais.

The match sponsors were Broadfield Farm Holiday Park and the Rotary Club of Tenby. The match ball sponsors were John McDonald and Des Brace.

Tenby fielded: Dan Colley, Dai Meyrick, Alex Watt, Gavin Brace, Sam Cataki, Tom Lewis, Rhys Thomas, Scott Payne, Nicky Guymer, Lee Tucker, Gareth Edwards, Jonny Lane, Harry Bolton (capt.), Timoci Kaumaitotoya, Sam Smith. Replacements - Robbie Clarke, Terry John, Rob James, Simon Stanford.