This was a game that Cross Keys could easily have won in very trying conditions at Carmarthen Park.

As it was, they had to settle for a losing bonus point and are still in with an outside chance of getting a play-off place.

Conditions were far from ideal and that made handling tricky, so the game deteriorated into a forward slog accompanied by kicking for territory.

Keys had the better scrum but the Quins had an edge in the lineouts and the breakdowns were a battlefield with both sides winning a fair share of ball and Keys captain Robert Nash proving to be a real terrier.

The opening quarter was played out between the 22s and it took five minutes before a break that got scoreboard started moving.

Keys were judged offside and James Garland kicked an easy 25-metre penalty to put the Quins in front and five minutes later they stretched their lead.

Garland kicked them into the Keys 22 where the home forward set up a series of drives before the ball was whipped back to Garland, who sold an outrageous dummy before darting over at the posts.

The pivot kicked the extras to make it 10-0 at half-time, which was rough justice for Keys who had enjoyed as much of the play as the Quins.

Keys went on the attack from the start of the second half and hooker Richard Emms almost got over from a smart lineout move and referee Huw Watkins couldn’t see what had happened when Keys drove a maul over the home line.

The pressure told when Keys went for a pushover try and at the second time of asking, the under-pressure Quins front row stood up and a penalty try was awarded that Gareth David converted.

The Quins were penalised for not releasing after 62 minutes and David put Keys level with a simple penalty.

Seven minutes later, replacement Sililo Martens took a quick tap penalty and Keys were penalised for not retreating 10m which allowed Garland to put them back in front from 30 metres and that turned out to be the last act of scoring.

Keys coach Mark Ring said: “I’m disappointed because we lost control at key times. We felt we had supremacy up front and dominated field position for most of the match.

“But every time the Quins got into our 22, we seemed to give a penalty away. I’m disappointed with our discipline and our decision making.”

Carmarthen Quins scorers: Try - J Garland (40); Con - J Garland (40); Pens - Garland 35, 69) Cross Keys: G David, M Johnstone, L Andrews, M Pewtner, N Trowbridge, D Langdon, O Jones, R Cornock, R Emms, C Gould (J Faletua 57), M Curtis (C Cornock 80), N Hall, J Groves, R Nash (captain), T Lampard Scorers: Try - penalty try (48); Con - G David (48); Pen - David (62) Referee: Huw Watkins (Cadoxton)