Pontypool 17 Ebbw Vale 13 EBBW Vale ended a barren spell in the Premiership by clinching a deserved 23-17 victory over Pooler in their Christmas local derby battle at Pontypool Park.

Having drawn one and lost four of their last five league fixtures, Vale were desperate for a win and they generally looked the sharper outfit in the tight and loose play.

Injury-hit Pooler remain in the mire, anchored at the bottom of the table, but they at least had the consolation of picking up an invaluable losing bonus point although they created enough opportunities to steal victory themselves in a keenly-contested second half.

The freezing temperatures and swirling wind made handling difficult but Vale No. 8 Rhys Williams scored a super try after 28 minutes that would have graced any match.

Latching on to the ball near the halfway line, Williams showed a great turn of speed to outstrip the home defence and cross for a dazzling corner touchdown.

Full back Aaron Bramwell added the icing to the cake by kicking a 30-metre wide-angled conversion from the touchline.

Vale’s other try was scored by replacement scrum half Rob Lewis in the 65th minute. Bramwell again kicked the conversion, which together with his hat-trick of penalties, gave him a match total of 13 points.

Pontypool’s former Ebbw Vale outside half Sam Mills also enjoyed a successful afternoon underpinning a solid display in attack and defence by kicking four penalties - two before the interval when Vale led 13-6.

But Mills had the ill-luck to strike an upright with his wide-angled conversion attempt after wing Will Kershaw-Naylor crossed for a good try midway through the second half.

The holiday crowd really warmed up after Kershaw-Naylor’s try because it put Pooler just 16-14 behind and the result still in the melting pot.

Lewis eased the pressure for the somewhat jittery visitors when he spun out of a tackle and stretched over the home line for his touchdown.

The match was played in good spirit but referee Neil Ballard (Cardiff) found himself in the wars pulling a calf muscle midway through the first half.

He struggled on valiantly for a short spell before retiring to the sidelines after 30 minutes. Assistant referee Neil Hennessy, also of Cardiff, took over as the man in the middle.

Ebbw Vale coach Matthew McCarthy said after the match: “It was vital we got a result following our recent league form so we are very happy with the win.

“That said, we could have won more comfortably if we had adopted a more positive approach in the second half. We were certainly the better side on the day.”

Gareth Jenkins, one of the Pontypool coaching team, said: “We are disappointed. Once again, silly errors at key times in the game let us down because we believed we had a good chance of snapping up a win in the second half.

“On the plus side, we at least managed to pick up a losing bonus point and these crumbs can be crucial at the end of the season.”

Pontypool: G.Williams; W.Kershaw-Naylor, P. Price, J. Leyshon (A.Sliczney 78), T. Selley (N.Preece 71); S. Mills, C. Morgan; J. Jeune (captain), D. Goodfield (M. Dwyer 71), A. Williams (M. Lewis 40), S. Pailor (K.Maiden 54), D. Cox, R. Bowen, C. Trayhern, A. Brake (N.Coughlin 71).

Try: W. Kershaw-Naylor (60 mins). Pens: S. Mills (15, 25, 50 and 78 mins).

Ebbw Vale: A. Bramwell; K. Owen, capt., J. Lewis (I.Coombes 76), S. Powell, A. Bevan; D. Langdon, I. Evans (R. Lewis 58); A. Lott (C. Fillier 80), R. Wilkes, M. Jones (G. Jones 40), M. Griffin (A. Hall 62), J. Griffiths, R. Jenkins (N. Eaves 80), S. Pengelly (M. Allen 67), R. Williams. Tries: R. Williams (28 mins) and R. Lewis (65 mins). Pens: A. Bramwell (10, 40 and 42 mins). Cons: A. Bramwell (2).

Referee: Neil Ballard (Cardiff).