PWLLHELI were delighted to come away with a 17-12 win from Caernarfon, and it was one they deserved in this important Division One North derby at Y Morfa.

Neither team required any motivation for this match, and Caernarfon showed their intent from the first minute when a counter-ruck pushed Pwllheli off the ball.

The home half backs dominated early on and their kicking game was initially to the fore, before a well-planned move resulted in the opening try after seven minutes.

Winning the ball on the left, the home side’s pack created the space for winger Iolo Hughes to cut in at an angle and scyth through the Pwllheli cover to score under the posts. The conversion was a formality.

The visitors’ line-out did not function well, although their scrum was steady.

It was a breakaway on 20 minutes which saw Pwllheli penetrate the home defence and flanker Tom Parry crossed the line, but the pass was deemed to be forward.

It took Pwllheli barely two minutes to make amends as some intricate close passes by the Pwllheli backs put centre John Pugh in the clear, and the cover defence could not match his pace. Wing Osian Parry Jones added the conversion.

The rest of the half saw the game punctuated by a series of injuries and penalties. Most of the decisions went against Pwllheli, who then found it difficult to bring any kind of consistency into their play.

The pattern of the game changed a little in the second half, with constant stoppages and penalties dominating proceedings.

The highlight of the game, however, came just four minutes after the restart.

Fielding a loose kick ahead, Pwllheli countered from deep and full back Danial Glyn took on and beat the upcoming Caernarfon players. He made ground, before passing to John Pugh who finished off the skillful counter attack. Osian Parry Jones slotted the wide angled conversion.

The momentum changed when captain Nick Butterworth was yellow-carded, and he was off he pitch for fully 14 minutes.

The hosts took full advantage with their second try after a period of concerted pressure, with Dylan Gwyn crossing over, but his conversion attempt drifted wide.

Pwllheli dug deep and when they caught Caernarfon offside, Parry Jones added an invaluable three penalty points.

The balance of the game changed once again with Butterworth’s reintroduction.

With flanker Dafydd Anwyl having his best game for some time, Pwllheli’s pack edged the 50-50 ball. The line-out settled and the scrum gained tidy possession.

Pwllheli were rocked as stalwart veteran second row Geraint Parry was awarded what was called a team yellow card.

Caernarfon had been given another opportunity to clinch the game, but Pwllheli saw out the game, and they will host Llandudno in confident mood on Saturday.