PANTYFFYNNON RFC 5 pts. PEMBROKE DOCK HARLEQUINS nil

The Quins came away from the suburbs of Ammanford on Saturday wondering how on earth they lost this match.

The Quins kicked off with a gale force wind behind them and went straight on the offensive, and were soon camped on Panty's 25, with strong running from Darren Potter, playing out of position at centre, giving the home side plenty of problems.

All eyes were on the first scrum that went down and the Quins, whose scrum has been a problem this season, rose to the occasion magnificently, taking total control in this facet of play as their opponents retreated at a rate of knots.

The Quins soon forced a penalty and scrum-half Adam Cawley was unlucky when his kick hit the outside of the upright as goal-kicking became a lottery in the conditions.

The Quins were not helped when second row Mike Davis, who is having a fine season, had to leave the field with a damaged ankle, and with Joe Powell also playing out of position at outside-half, the Quins' two main lineout jumpers were now missing.

.The Quins' scrum, however, was still proving too strong for the hosts. Chad Monk, Jake Newman and James Booth with the returning Phil Kay in the second row were in total control, and the ball retention in the conditions was excellent, but they could not force a score as Panty seemed to tackle anything that moved.

Adam Cawley twice had a chance to put his side in front, but was wide with both penalty attempts as the gale behind him ruled the roost.

On the half-hour, the Quins looked to have broken the deadlock when Joe Powell hacked through, but with the line at his mercy, he knocked-on right alongside the upright, which surely, even in the poor conditions, would have put the Quins seven points to the good.

As the half-time whistle blew with the score at 0-0, the Quins must have been wondering what the second half would have in store for them.

Even against the wind, though, the Quins still had the upper hand in the opening stages of the second period.

Barry Parsons, Alex Pierce and Nathan George in the back row were revelling in the heavy conditions as the pitch was becoming increasingly treacherous.

Both defences were on top, with tackling from both sides right on the money.

The Quins caused a few anxious moments in the home defence when some clever box kicks from Adam Cawley held up in the wind, but the bounce of the ball eluded the Quins' attackers.

The Quins, even with the gale in their faces, always looked odds-on to sneak a result, but with conditions underfoot enabling Panty to get a bit of respite in the scrum, the outcome of the match seemed likely to hinge on a bit of magic or a mistake.

The last 10 minutes belonged to the hosts and, with just five minutes remaining, the Quins pulled down a maul on their own 25 and up stepped hooker Nick James to try and get the first score of the match, but fortunately for the visitors, the conditions took control and his attempt was well wide.

A scoreless draw now looked on the cards, but sadly for the Quins, disaster was about to strike. A fine kick into the corner put them under pressure, Adam Cawley was caught in possession, the ball popped out and, despite a fine tackle by Ryan Neilson which seemed to stem the danger, the ball went loose and Panty fullback Keri Jones, who must be the smallest player in Wales, dived onto it to score wide out. It goes without saying that Nick James missed the conversion attempt.

The game restarted for the last play and a knock-on ended the match.

The Quins are next in action when they entertain Penygroes RFC on November 23.