ATHLETIC opened the scoring after an early penalty was kicked to the corner by fly-half Dan Davies. From the resulting lineout, prop Gerwyn Jones powered over at the back of a maul. The conversion was missed, but Athletic led 5-0, writes Colin Thomson.

Haverfordwest responded swiftly, their full-back finishing a slick move under the posts for a converted try to make it 5-7.

Both sides traded possession in a fast-paced, evenly matched contest. On 24 minutes, prop Tom Sherman crashed over after sustained pressure near the Haverfordwest line. Another missed conversion left it 10-7.

Athletic’s third try came on 32 minutes, launched from deep inside their own half. After a series of chase kicks and sharp handling, Hayden Beal finished off a superb team move. The conversion again went wide, but Athletic led 15-7 at the break.

Haverfordwest dominated early in the second half, pinning Athletic back with strong interplay between forwards and backs. Their persistence paid off on 56 minutes with a driving lineout try, converted to close the gap to 15-14.

Athletic defended bravely through the next phase, repelling multiple attacks. But on 71 minutes, a breakdown infringement gave Haverfordwest a penalty just outside the 22. Their No.10 calmly slotted the kick to edge ahead 15-17.

The final 10 minutes were frantic, with both sides pushing for a breakthrough. Despite late pressure, Athletic couldn’t find the winning score.

It was a fiercely contested match between two evenly matched sides. A draw might have been fair, but a single penalty proved decisive.

Dan Davies was named Athletic’s man of the match, with Rowan Edwards leading superbly. With ten substitutions used, the squad’s depth was on full display.

Next up: Athletic host Lampeter on Friday the 14th.