EBBW Vale official Alan Evans hailed a roller-coaster of a match which saw his side slip to an agonising three point defeat.

"We fought like tigers in the second half after Bedwas had dominated the first. The wind was obviously a factor, but when we drew level near the end I thought there was no way we could lose.

"In the last minute all we had to do was punt the ball upfield and let Bedwas chase it, but instead we gave away a silly penalty," said Evans.

Vale barely had an attack in the first half as Bedwas, with wind advantage, dominated for long periods.

The 20-0 interval scoreline could really have been worse but dogged Vale defending kept a hungry Bedwas pack at bay most of the time.

On the changeover, as expected, it was Vale's turn on the front foot, Ian George taking only five minutes to squirm over and register Vale's intentions.

Anthony Lott's try ten minutes later plus a Simon Hunt penalty brought battling Vale to within seven points, a deficit which was wiped out with two minutes left when Gareth Maule crashed over followed by Hunt's conversion.

With the Vale supporters in raptures as they sensed the most dramatic of victories it was Bedwas who claimed the spoils when following numerous chances to clear their line. Vale kept possession in their own 22 to give away a needless penalty and Stuart Thomas kept his head to break Vale's hearts.

Ebbw Vale captain John Bowd pinpointed his side's first-half display as the main reason for the defeat.

"I know we faced a strong wind but we should have adapted our game to the conditions. It was a great improvement in the second half when we showed great spirit and commitment."

Official Evans had no doubt as to what was the crucial period. "I felt the turning-point of the match was midway through the second half when we had worked ourselves into good attacking positions only to find we could not contest the scrums. Their last penalty left us gutted."

Bedwas: S Thomas; J Norris, P Dollman, G Miles, M Pizey; J Welch (capt), J Pizey (S Jones 60); G Leonard (J Tilley 55), K Crawford, J Salter (A Williams 55), C Powell, A Brown, P Sargent, R Downes, B Lampitt (A Tibbatts 47).

Scorers: Tries - P Dollman, G Miles, K Crawford; con - S Thomas; pens - Thomas (2).

Ebbw Vale: A McLauglan; K Owen, A Bramwell, G Maule, I Coombes; (S Hunt 50); C Anderson, R Lewis; (B Shelbourne 60), I George (A Coundley 75), M Williams (R Wilkes 65), M Jones (A Lott 40), M Griffin, N Edwards (W Jones 40), W Thomas, J McPhail, J Bowd (capt).

Scorers: Tries - I George, A Lott, G Moule; con - S Hunt; pen - Hunt.

Referee: Huw Watkins (Neath).