IT is over 23 years since Bro Ffestiniog last won a league match at Maes Gwyniad, when Australian Dave Nicholl, playing his first season for the Club, clinched a memorable win with a penalty - and had a dip in the freezing lake for his efforts.

This time, it was local Ian Roberts who won a compelling game 15-17 with a drop goal, and the win was even sweeter for Edwyn Roberts’ men as Bala are in fine form.

The homesters had soon took the lead though a Rhydian Jones penalty, after Bro were penalised for not rolling away.

It did not take long from the restart for Ffestiniog to settle, however, and they attacked into the Bala 22, where fly half Mathew Hayden went through, but the visitors’ try was not awarded for crossing.

The home side then came under some sustained pressure, but Jones continued to clear his lines with some excellent kicking.

On 17 minutes Bala were awarded a penalty and chose to kick for touch. A clean catch and drive took the ball to within meters of the line but Bro won turnover ball.

From another lineout on halfway, Bala spread the ball one way then the other, with the backs and forwards combining well, culminating in wing Iwan Williams crossing for an unconverted try out wide.

When another Bala attack was stopped at source, Bro hooker Tom James kicked the ball upfield, and on hand as ever was Huw Parry, who also showed his footballing skills. The ball bounced nicely into his grasp, and the flanker crossed under the posts, with centre Ian Roberts converting.

Just before the half time whistle Bala crossed the whitewash again, but the linesman’s flag was up for a foot in touch and the sides went into the break at 8-7.

From the re-start Bro raced out of the blocks and within two minutes they were awarded a lineout deep into Bala’s 22. A training ground move saw flanker Marc Morris gather the ball off the top and gained the yardage, before offloading to Hayden to score under the posts, with Roberts once again adding the conversion.

Bala were soon back into the lead, however, as fly half Owain Aled side-stepped his way over, and Jones added a fine try.

The hosts should have extended the lead from a penalty on 40 metres and then 25 metres as Bro were twice penalised for offside, but both efforts went painfully wide.

With 20 minutes of the half gone the match was marred with controversy, as Bala crossed the whitewash once more, and there was some handbags behind the posts with many players getting involved.

Once the dust had settled, referee Sion Dingam, much to the home crowd’s dismay, did not award the try, but awarded a penalty to Bro for an earlier high tackle.

He awarded yellow cards to Bala’s Clwyd Edwards and Bro’s Mathew Hayden.

Bro attacked from a line-out, and the Quarrymen went through the phases before sending the ball out to the backs. Roberts’ instinctive drop goal was not struck as sweet as he had hoped, but the ball went over the posts to secure the victory.

Bro went down to 14 men again as centre Dewi Atherton was binned for a high tackle, and the final minutes were all Bala as they pressurised deep into Bro’s 22.

They were awarded two kickable penalties, one missed the posts by a long way and other they chose to kick into touch.

Bro, however, won the lineout and kicked the ball into touch, to spark jubilant scenes at the end by the visitors.