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Games between the 2 sides are invariably close with rarely more than one score to separate the sides.

The deciding factor of late has tended to be the direct approach of the visitors but this time it was the home side that out muscled the Newport team, dominating the set pieces as well as the loose play.

The game started with  Malpas on the attack and it took an outstanding tackle by fullback Dion Perry to stop what looked like a certain try, followed by a sensational turnover by prop DJ Winter who enjoyed an outstanding afternoon.

After overcoming the initial storm, West started to show their attacking side with halfbacks Jon Wells and captain Robbie Baldock releasing strong running centre Alex Maddocks ably supported by wing Jason Morgan who has made great progress this season.

With flanker Dan ‘Dukey’ Gibbings absolutely everywhere, Malpas were now firmly on the back foot and pinned in their own half.  The West pack was well in control of the scrums with Scottie Leonard dominating his opposite number, whilst the pin point throwing of hooker  Ryan Clark ensured a constant stream of possession in the lineout from Luke Shelton and Dukie.

It was no surprise to the decent sized crowd that the home side took the lead when  Robbie Baldock slotted over 2 penalties after good approach work by Craig Jenkins and Dafydd Thomas whilst that human exocet missile Pat Daly was a constant threat with his strong running

Sadly the home side failed to take several try scoring opportunities and as so often happens, the visitors  on a rare excursion into the West Mon half were rewarded with a smart 30 yard dropped goal and this was followed by a try to make it 6-8 at half time.

A much stronger bench than of late saw all action flanker Owain ‘Saheed’ Beard and centre Mark Leighton start the second half.

Mark proved to be in sensational form with his hard running and off loading and was soon on the score sheet after bursting through 2 would be tacklers and out pacing the defence to score West’s opening try, converted by Robbie Baldock.

The 2^nd try soon followed when a charged down kick was scooped up by Buff who produced the champagne moment of the match with a deft reverse back pass to Dukey for him to run 40 meters to score, again converted by Robbie.

Credit to Malpas though who fought back for a converted try of their own which suggested that it would be a nail biting finish.

With 15 minutes to go, West brought on Beppe James, Ieuan Taylor and the evergreen Duane Gardner (who fell over and played the remainder of the game with a broken ankle) to keep the pack fresh in the heat, with all 3 putting in big shifts in the scrum and loose.

West then launched an attack from a scrum with Mark Leighton again breaking through the Malpas defence, off loading to Buff who passed to Dion who beat 2 defenders before passing back to Mark  Leighton for him to score his 2^nd and the home sides 3^rd of the game.  This score really knocked the wind out of the Malpas sail and secured a well deserved win for the home side.

This was an excellent all round performance by West Mon who thoroughly deserved its victory against opponents they had not beaten since March 2014.

#C'mon West/Dewch ymlaen Gorllewin