NEWPORT produced a storming finish to beat Cross Keys 22-19 in a hard-fought Gwent derby clash at Pandy Park.

The win avenged the 18-16 defeat suffered against their opponents in the league match at Rodney Parade on Boxing Day.

The Black and Ambers snapped up a crucial 72nd-minute try when outstanding replacement wing forward Richard Dale drove over the home line with the help of his fellow forwards.

Outside half Daniel Griffiths levelled the scores at 19-19 with his successful conversion kick and six minutes later he popped over a straightforward 22-metre penalty to seal the victory after Keys were caught offside in midfield.

Griffiths must be enjoying his rugby these days because he followed up his 21 points haul against Pontypridd earlier in the week with 17 against the Keys.

Apart from the conversion, Griffiths kicked a total of five penalties which means he now has 193 league points to his credit this season. Cross Keys fully contributed to the holiday entertainment and they carved out a blistering try shortly before the interval to give them a 13-6 lead at the break.

The home forwards managed to gain a rare foothold deep in Newport territory allowing outside half Scott Mitchell, who had a good match, to work the ball out to right wing Nathan Williams via flanker Dave Tovey and centre Gareth Turner. Williams made the most of Turner's excellent final pass to race over in the corner for a try that full back Darren Miles converted.

Miles was also a sure marksman kicking four penalties to end with a personal tally of 14 points.

The tackle area once again proved to be a contentious feature of play. Keys coach Robert Beale said later that he was "bitterly disappointed" with the way referee Gwyn Morris (Cardiff) had allowed Newport to regularly kill the ball on the ground.

"At the end of the day, Newport won and I give them credit for that. But this was an ideal day for playing rugby and, frankly, we were stopped from doing so," said Beale.

"Sometimes referees and the other officials have to take responsibility for ensuring teams are not allowed to get away with such tactics. That's their job but I'm afraid on this occasion they did not take action."

Newport coach David Rees, with two successive wins against strong opponents now under his belt, was understandably more upbeat about his team's performance.

"Our boys are not chasing a championship but they are now playing well for each other and our supporters.

"We showed a lot of maturity in this match. We didn't get our noses in front until the closing minutes but we used our bench well and Richard Dale, in particular, put in a tremendous effort.

"Not only did he score the try, but he ensured that we started to cross the gain line. I'm really pleased for him and the general team effort.

"We said at half time we might win the game in the last 10 minutes because, in my opinion, our general fitness levels were superior."

Cross Keys: D Miles, N Williams, G Turner, capt, D Dark (R.Williams 63), M McKee, S Mitchell, R James, I George (J Price 71), G Horrigan. C Gould (R Cornock 73), S Marasco (W Jones 63), W Simms, W Thomas, D Tovey (T Lampard 57) and R Williams. Scorers: Try: N.Williams (35). Pens: D. Miles ( 1, 33, 50 and 60 mins). Con: Miles Newport: R Williams (W Kershaw-Naylor 61), G Chapman, J Rowles, R Payne, R Fussell, D Griffiths, A Walker (M Thomas 73), I Evans (D Pattison 61), L Jones, C Antony, M Workman, (C Powell 56), M Veater, capt, S Waldron (R Dale 51), C Davies and M. Popham. Scorers: try: R Dale (72). Pens: D Griffiths (17, 21, 41, 56, and 78 mins). Con: Griffiths . Referee: Mr Gwyn Morris (Cardiff)