Carmarthen Quins 19.

Whitland 3.

Carmarthen Quins retained top spot in the table as they outlasted a Whitland side which battled hard but ultimately was unable to prevent the Quins from scoring tries at vital times.

Gareth Cull missed an early penalty chance for the Quins but they took the lead after 17 minutes when they turned pressure into five points as Tristan Davies put in a clever little kick through and Ryan Llewellyn was on hand to claim the touch down.

Whitland reduced the deficit when good work by Emyr Williams set the stage for a powerful attack and when the Quins got themselves offside up stepped Carwyn Jones to land the penalty.

Both sides had their chances but there was no further scoring until just before the interval, when the Quins grabbed an important seven points from a try by Neil Wilcox which Cull converted to give them a 12-3 half time lead.

Whitland were always in with a chance as Randall Williams, Carwyn Davies and John Bowen were always in the thick of things but they were rocked back when Martin Morgan scored the third Quins’ try, again converted by Cull.

The Borderers’ comeback attempts were hampered as replacement prop Romeo Colella was red-carded and the final whistle saw Carmarthen Quins able to complete their sixth successive league win and remain at the top of Division One (West) as a result.

Whitland: Dan Newton: Christiaan Roets; Lee Glanville; Emyr Williams; Aled Jones: Carwyn Jones; Gary Davies: Alan Proctor; Mark Jones; Gareth Lloyd: Carwyn Davies; Randall Williams (Capt): Celt Thomas; Jack Mason; John Bowen. Replacements: Gary Evans; Rhun Morgan; Gareth Williams; Gareth Downes; Romeo Colella.

The match between Narberth and Tonmawr was postponed in unusual circumstances when referee Ken Bowen sustained an injury in his pre-match warm-up and since there was no suitable referee available the match had to be called off. It left both teams and a large crowd disappointed, with Narberth having some excellent sponsorship as a further minus point for them – although the match will be rearranged at a later date.