NEWBRIDGE this season celebrate the 40th anniversary of winning the Welsh Championship. How sad it would be if ultimately their celebration season ended in relegation to the Welsh First Division, now a distinct possibility.

It was to their credit that despite a farcical fortnight when the club sacked one coach and saw another quit, the players responded with an altogether more purposeful and passionate display at the Welfare Ground on Saturday.

Ultimately, they were still not good enough to prevent closest Premier Division neighbours Cross Keys securing their first league double over them, and their first win at the Welfare Ground for around 20 years.

And in truth, had Keys not allowed themselves to be sucked into a largely forward battle, but instead had spread the ball more and made more use of the hugely controlling influence of outside- half Scott Mitchell, Newbridge surely would have lost more heavily.

Newbridge also benefited from Keys flanker Ben Watkins being denied what seemed a perfectly good first-half try for allegedly pulling back off the ball and a penalty count of almost 3-1 in their favour.

But even so, they did show a greater pride and passion than when they capitulated at Pontypool on their previous outing, and did enough to suggest all is not completely lost.

Nevertheless, they need to take at least three points, preferably all six, from their home game with Cardiff on Tuesday and their trip to bottom side Caerphilly next Saturday if the gap at the bottom is not to prove insurmountable.

Against Keys, whose win took them to an excellent fourth in the table, the crucial spell was a 25-minute period in the second half when they kept their opponents pinned around their 22 as they trailed 12-6.

But try as they might, they could find no way through a solid defence, and putting two kickable penalties to touch may not have been the wisest choice, as their former player, Will Thomas, and fellow back-row man Watkins ruled the lineout for Keys all afternoon.

Keys also played into Newbridge's hands by too often trying to drive their way out of trouble through their pack when they ought to have cleared downfield to touch. However, Newbridge never really threatened the try-line and Keys eventually broke out, and on a couple of occasions full back Darren Miles joined the line to threaten breakaway tries.

Ultimately, Keys sealed Newbridge's fate through the latter's sheer bad luck.

Newbridge full back Christian Wills sent the ball way downfield from his own 22, and it looked like bouncing into touch a few yards from the Keys line.

But cruelly, the ball bounced infield and then back out and over the dead ball line, and when the ball was brought back for a scrum, Keys scrum-half James Pizey broke to the Newbridge line before sending the resultant ruck ball wide for left-wing David Price to score the decisive try.

A Mitchell break had put right- wing Mark McKee over for an eighth-minute try converted by Miles, and after a Jonathan Williams penalty had closed the gap, a clever switch by Mitchell created an overlap for a Daniel Dark try and a deserved 12-3 interval lead.

But after another Williams penalty had reduced the deficit, Newbridge looked as though they might turn the game around but could not turn an abundance of pressure into points despite, in particular, the forward efforts of skipper Mike Peard and flanker Simon Greedy and the probing of outside- half Ross Watts.

Newbridge: C Wills, R Hallett, J Williams, G Bowen (S Parry 72min), M Addis, R Watts, M Taylor (C Miller 40min), Rhodri Davies, L Davies (D Williams 44min), C Fitzpatrick (Ross Davies 62min), M Peard, P Watkins, S Evans, S Greedy, S Coles (W Sims 47min). Scorers: Penalties: J Williams (2). Cross Keys: D Miles, M McKee, G Turner, D Dark, D Price, S Mitchell, J Pizey, C Gould, G Price (G Horrigan 52min), I George, M Curtis, D Hudd, B Watkins, A Cox, W Thomas. Scorers: Tries: M McKee, D Dark, D Price; conversions: D Miles (2).