Bridgend 23

Cross Keys 7

CROSS Keys ended their season in a disappointing, and very soggy, fashion after going down 23-7 to Bridgend at the Brewery Field.

Ravens full-back Gareth David was in an unforgiving mood as he helped himself to 13 points and a 100 per cent success rate with the boot, no mean effort given the slippery turf he was planting his standing foot into.

And it was an entertaining encounter despite the conditions with both sides showing excellent handling and young players on both teams impressing.

The hosts led 16-0 at the break after displaying a cutting edge that an inexperienced Keys side, in which fly-half Scott Sneddon, hooker Ben Roberts and full-back James Leadbetter stood out, lacked.

David kicked three penalties and converted a try by fly-half Gareth Owen, who controlled the game well with his fellow Ospreys and Wales Under-20s half-back Rhys Webb, on 25 minutes.

Keys had a good spell when the score was just 3-0 only to come inches short through skipper Ben Watkins and Lloyd Burns, who was playing in the back row rather than hooker. Then Sneddon missed a pair of penalties.

But their luck changed four minutes into the second half when lock Ashley Sweet, another Wales Under-20s star, was put over after good work by Sneddon who then converted.

But any hopes of a remarkable comeback were killed off when Webb scuttled over down the blindside from a five-metre scrum on 56 minutes, David again superbly converting from the touchline.

Scorers: Bridgend: tries - G Owen (26), R Webb (56); conversions - G David (26), (56); penalties - G David (9), (25), (31) Keys: try - A Sweet (44); conversion - S Sneddon (44)