PEMBROKE DOCK QUINS 23 pts

NEW DOCK STARS 25

The Quins put in one of their better displays of the season before going down to a penalty with the last kick of the match on Tuesday night.

It took the Quins just five minutes to get on the scoreboard when outside-half Lewis Davies dropped a fine 30-yard goal.

When fullback Paul Jonkers rounded off a fine move for his 10th try of the season just two minutes later, things were looking rosy for the Quins.

Davies missed the conversion, but the Quins had certainly taken full advantage of the slow start by the visitors.

On 15 minutes, the Stars scored a superb try by centre Ifan Patchell when he completely outpaced the Quins' defence.

Outside-half Mick Davies converted to pull the score back to 8-7.

The Quins were giving as good as they got against their high-flying opponents, who only last week fell out of the promotion race.

Stars' fullback Luke Edwards put his side into the lead on 30 minutes when he raced over near the posts for Mick Davies to add the extras.

Davies soon had a chance to narrow the gap, but he pushed his penalty wide.

As the half-time whistle approached, it looked as if the Quins were going in 14-8 in arrears, but a careless pass in midfield was intercepted by centre Jack Price, who needed no second invitation to race underneath the posts.

Davies popped over the conversion to send the Quins in 15-14 to the good at the break, at the same time notching up his century of points for the season.

The Quins did not take long to increase their lead when Davies, as he did at the start of the first half, put over a 30-yard drop goal to extend the Quins' lead to 18-14.

The Stars then came right back into the match, when after sustained pressure, flanker Hywel Jones forced his way over for an unconverted try to regain the lead for his side, and shortly after Mick Davies increased the lead when he punished a Quins indiscretion with a well-struck penalty.

At 22-18 adrift and against a team much higher up the league, it looked like the end for the Quins with a bonus point well within reach for the Stars, but it was not to be as the Quins hit back with a vengeance and surprised a few when, after going close on at least three occasions, centre Simon Coleman just about squeezed over in the corner to restore the lead for the Quins.

Davies was wide with the conversion, but with the score now 23-22 in the Quins' favour, it was now anybody's game.

Unluckily for the Quins, though, as the light was fading and time running out, they were caught offside in the middle of the field, and up stepped Mick Davies to send his kick soaring over the crossbar to rob the Quins of a morale-boosting win.