Cardigan 26.

Aberystwyth 10.

Cardigan reserved one of their best performances of the season for this cracking victory over Aberystwyth at a time when the Mid Wales side are in a rich vein of form but were given little chance to shine by Colin Davies and his Cardigan squad.

Aberystwyth had won by 18-0 when the teams met in September but this Cardigan team is now a much stronger and assertive unit.

The Mid Wales outfit were rocked back from the very outset as Cardigan grabbed a seven-point lead in the very first minute when outstanding centre Carwyn Thomas sliced through and Colin Davies added the extras.

A Gwilym Evans penalty placed Aber on the scoresheet but after 37 minutes Cardigan extended their advantage when Davies picked up quickly at the base of a scrum and fed Mike Diggle, and although the scrum half had two men in his way he beat them both to score a superb try before Davies slotted his second conversion.

Aberystwyth finally showed what they can do after seven minutes of time added on before the interval when sustained forward pressure saw Arwel Lloyd claim a try, converted by Gwilym Evans.

If the mid Wales team thought they would now wear Cardigan down they were mistaken because Dylan Davies, Dylan Richards, Matthew James, Marcus Heighton and the front row stayed strong in the set-pieces to restrict good possession for the visitors.

The Teifisiders grabbed their third try when outside-half Guto Crompton made a short pass to Carwyn Thomas and the centre ploughed over the line with two men still trying to hang on to him, with Davies adding the conversion.

Cardigan made sure of a bonus point, as well as deserved victory, when a neat kick ahead allowed winger Guto Crompton to score a good try and although Davies missed the decision it mattered little because Cardigan celebrated their eighth win in 12 league outings to join their opponents near the top of the table.

Cardigan: Arwyn Wilson: Rhydian Jenkins; Dafydd Evans; Carwyn Thomas; Guto Crompton; Iestyn Crompton; Mike Diggle; Richard Jones; Nigel Kurish; Dai Jones: Matthew James; Dylan Richards; Dylan Davies; Marcus Heighton; Colin Davies (Capt). Replacements: Robert Connolly; Huw Davies; Shane Burton; Gethin Jones.