ABERAERON’s winning margin may have suggested an emphatic victory at Parc Drefach on Friday evening - but a dogged Tregaron outfit gave a good account of themselves until well into the second half, before the hosts finally ran out as worthy 45-12 winners.

A considerable support witnessed a real encounter under the lights, which really shows the value of local derby fixtures.

League positions might have suggested an expected three points for the hosts, and the opening skirmishes confirmed that as the visiting side were subjected to heavy pressure deep in their territory. A series of rolling mauls from the home side and infringements finally paid off, with referee awarding a penalty try.

More pressure from the restart created further openings, and with the try line gaping a simple pass would have been enough for the second. A fumble however saw opposition winger Chris Wilkins intercept, and from 80 metres the speedster outpaced the home defence to cross, to give Huw Bonnell conversion success.

After the initial home domination this proved to be the first turning point, and the game became more evenly balanced. Buoyed by their unlikely success, the visitors found a new resolve, but they were outdone when they failed to defend pressure on their own line, allowing captain Sion Evans to cross the whitewash.

The restart saw a further twist, as handling errors gave Tregaron the opportunity to drive up the field and they were rewarded for their enterprise with the visitors’ stalwart prop Dorian Pugh scoring to bring the scores level once again. This proved to be a wake-up call for the hosts, and they regained the lead with a close range effort by Aaron Lewis, which was duly converted by Rhodri Jenkins.

With the result having been in the balance for long periods, the Aberaeron crowd then witnessed what can only be described as one of the best solo displays witnessed at Parc Drefach in a long time. A glorious 15 minute spell saw Dafydd Llewelyn give a display of true class as he bamboozled the defence with guile and explosive pace to cross for four tries.

The first was the result of forward domination, giving the opening for the bonus point try, but the best was yet to come as all three tries came from his own 25, with the defence unable to combat his vision.

From having been a tight encounter, the late flurry gave the home support a real lift, albeit a little flattering final scoreline. The two sides now await the eagerly anticipated return fixture at Tregaron in a fortnight, on Saturday, 15 February.