The fly-half crossed twice in the first-half of the Foster’s Challenge Cup clash at Eugene Cross Park as the home ran riot in the opening 40 minutes. Newport actually started the brighter with No 8 Jack Goodey twice causing the hosts real problems in the opening minutes. But the Black & Ambers fluffed an early attacking line-out and it was to be one-way traffic after that.
Owen Williams finished from a well-angled run by fellow wing Jared Rosser after just seven minutes. Fly-half Veall, outstanding all night with the boot in tough kicking conditions, converted and added a penalty.
And it wasn’t long before Joe Franchi grabbed Vale’s second. Williams again caused problems before hooker Franchi scampered through. Another Veall conversion followed before the No 10 was then on the receiving end of a wonderful reverse pass by lock Joe Bartlett for a 26-0 lead on 23 minutes.
The outside-half completed a dream first half when he finished the good work of flanker Cameron Regan just minutes later. Veall then turned supplier with a scoring pass to full-back Dean Haymond to rack up 40 points inside half an hour.
Goodey and scrum-half Aeron Bidgood tried to muster a recovery from Newport and the back-row crossed before half-time. Ebbw lost forward Rhys Francis to a serious injury before the scrum claimed a penalty try.
Llanelli raced into a 10 point lead at wet and windy Carmarthen Park, but couldn’t turn their early advantage into a win as they fell 38-18 to a dogged home side in the Foster’s Challenge Cup.
Skipper Gareth Walters kicked the visitors into a third minute lead and then centre Paul Davies crashed for a try which Walters converted to create the 10 point gap. But Carmarthen Quins kept moving the ball into the wind and reaped their reward when wing Gavin Thomas went over for a try which Craig Evans converted.
A second Walters penalty made it 13-8 to Llanelli, but just before the break the Quins were awarded a penalty try after several driving line-outs were brought to ground. That made it 16-13 to the home team and Llanelli also had Liam Puckett sent to the sin-bin.
Poor old Puckett had to sIt through an agonising 10 minute spell for his side in which the Quins plundered 14 points as Dylan Morgan and Thomas with his second try crossed. Evans converted one of them to stretch the lead to 30-12.
Quins lock Jon Gardiner picked up a yellow card in the second half, but Llanelli were unable to take any advantage of their extra man. When both teams were back to full strength Thomas completed his hat-trick, Evans again converting, before Llanelli rounded off a night of six tries with a score from lock Christian Long.
Cross Keys travelled for their second round match in the Foster’s Challenge Cup looked to extend their unbeaten run this season to 10 games, but they were beaten 22-16 by Bedwas in a match that was switched to 4G pitch at the Ystrad Mynach Centre of Excellence.
The game was littered with yellow cards, each side picking up three each, and the tension mounted as the game moved from 8-8 at half-time to a one score win for Bedwas in the end.
Keys opened the scoring after 13 minutes when scrum half Owain Leonard squeezed through a gap to cross for the first try which full back Owen Howe converted off the upright. The visitors then picked up two yellow cards to allow Mike Callow to go over for a try which James Dixon converted.
Bedwas hit the front for the first time at the start of the second half when replacement scrum half Luke Crane benefitted from good work from Geraint Edmunds and Kurt Clabby to cross. Better was to follow when Brynley Toms powered his way over for a try which Dixon this time converted to extend the home lead to 16 points as the game moved into the final quarter.
Keys piled on the pressure and made Bedwas panic. Three home players saw yellow in a 14 minute period – Robson Blake, Ieuan Morris and Gareth Williams – but the visitors were only able to add one more score to their tally, a try from Lewys Montague which Howe converted.
