The Drovers chalked up their fourth consecutive win of the season to continue their steady climb up the SRC table.
Llandovery's 28-12 victory over Bridgend Ravens celebrated the official opening of Church Bank’s new 3G pitch in the presence of the great and good of the WRU, Welsh FA, Sport Wales and Carmarthenshire County Council.
It was also quite a day for wing Aaron Warren - affectionately known to all as “Panda” - who, after 13 years of loyal service, made his 250th appearance for the club.
He scored his 115th try for the club in a fashion familiar to all home supporters, with a stabbing, weaving, slaloming effort that gave the Drovers a fragile 14-12 interval lead.
He and brother Adam are two of a long line of brothers who have served the club with distinction and were again outstanding against a competitive Bridgend whose full blooded effort was not reflected in the score line.
Llandovery were never in command of the game and it was only in the dying minutes that they got the vital fourth try when their best forward, lock Ed Scragg, bullocked over.
“We seldom have it easy against Bridgend” said coach Euros Evans, “and they made life difficult in all areas.
“That we got a maximum six points was a huge bonus because they often looked dangerous and disrupted our rhythm in attack and posed us problems behind.”
This was particularly evident in the first half with fly half Ben Burnell intelligently using the wind to put his side into promising positions.
In a tight affair, it was 14-12 to Llandovery at the interval, two converted tries from prop Jamie Hughes and wing Aaron Warren trumping one from Bridgend full back Ed Howley and a penalty try.
When hooker Taylor Davies rumbled over for a trade-mark effort from a line out, Llandovery led 21-12 and looked set to turn the screw.
Not a bit of it, as Bridgend threatened only to find the home defence defiant, both full back Jack Maynard and Adam Warren winning important turn overs.
Fly half Ioan Hughes put the Drovers into prime positions with his touch finding and a five metre line out saw Scragg use his 120-kilo power to seal victory with the fourth try of the day, all converted by the unerring Maynard.
Llandovery entertain Pontypool this Saturday in the hope of extending their winning run in the SRC to five.
Llandovery
Tries: J Hughes, Aaron Warren, T Davies, E Scragg
Cons: J Maynard (4)
Bridgend
Tries: E Howley, pen try
Llandovery: J Maynard; I Phillips, Adam Warren, R Jones, Aaron Warren; I Hughes, L Rees (capt); J Hughes, T Davies, L Green, C Long, E Scragg, O Davies, J Powell, S Worrall
Replacements: D Dallavalle, G Williams, B Watkins, J Evans, E Sheldon, N Hart, M Meaclem, G Macdonald
Bridgend: E Howley; J Thomas, J Gatt, R Wilkins, M Rowley; B Burnell, C Williams; H Olding, T Olding, L Tobias, B Waddell, E Hill, A Llewellyn, K Harris, Z O’Driscoll (capt)
Replacements: E Yardley, A George, E Cowan, T Huntley, I Pascoe, C Smith, I Griffith, C Nott
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