After their shaky start to the season, Whitland continued their climb up National League division one on Saturday with a victory over basement battlers Rumney.

Their third win in a row, the Borderers did leave it late, however, a 78th minute penalty from Daniel Griffiths giving them the spoils by the narrowest of margins to elevate them to sixth place in the table.

Although played in difficult conditions at Riverside Park, with a greasy ball causing problems for both sides, both teams looked to play an open attacking game, with Rumney belying their status at the foot of the table by opening up a 13-3 lead in the first half.

However, the Whitland pack started to get on top of things as the game wore on, controlling the scrums and linesout to provide the platform for the visitors to fight back and set up a nail-biting climax.

The homesters drew first blood in the fifth minute when centre David Willey crossed under the posts after Rumney seized on a loose ball following the breakdown of an attack by Whitland stand-off Griffiths.

Outside-off James Palfrey had no difficulty adding the extras and then extended the homesters' lead with a penalty, before Griffiths reduced the deficit with a penalty at the other end.

Another three-pointer from Palfrey on the half-hour restored the Rumney advantage, but it was to prove the homesters' last hurrah as the Whitland eight, spearheaded by Fakatah Molitika, Anthony Jakeman, Randall Williams, Tristan Mabbutt and Derek Thomas, began to exert their control on proceedings.

Another penalty from Griffiths kept Whitland in the hunt as the Borderers tenaciously fought back, before the influential pivot gained good field position with a long range touch-finder.

Jakeman claimed the ensuing lineout to set up a text-book catch and drive, which resulted in Molitika claiming an unconverted try which reduced the arrears to just two points.

Although Whitland were in the ascendancy, Rumney defended like tigers, denying the Green and Whites any real scoring opportunities, and with time running out it looked as if they had done enough to secure something of a shock result.

However, the relentless Borderers pressure reaped rewards at the death when a defensive infringement by the homesters gifted Griffiths a shot at goal with just two minutes left on the clock.

With a palpable tension around the ground, the resultant penalty may not have been the sweetest struck by the prolific goal-kicker, but it did the job to give Whitland a vital victory by the narrowest of margins.

Tomorrow (Saturday), the Borderers welcome Bonymaen to the Parc Llwyn Ty Gwyn ground.