AN under-strength Rhyl and District side were unable to cause a stir at the WRU National League Division Two North summit as they fell to a 64-17 defeat at promotion hopefuls Newtown.

The Dragons travelled to mid Wales with the bare minimum 15 players for the clash, and those involved emerged from the game with a tremendous amount of credit against a very strong home side.

Things were even more difficult for the visitors in the second period when a number of injuries resulted in them playing the majority of the half with just 12 men, and their outstanding commitment and dedication in the face of adversity drew widespread praise from the opposition following the clash.

Seb Vidal’s side will be aiming for WRU Bowl success next Saturday when they travel to a formidable COBRA outfit.

Rhyl Seconds hosted Bala in a return fixture from last weekend and were much improved.

In the true spirit of “always a game”, the visitors arrived with six players to Rhyl’s ten, so the sides were evened out through loans to make it eight aside and get a run out for all.

After a shaky start which resulted in the Dragons conceding four early tries, the home side found their feet and managed to notch a pair of score of their own.

The two sides then traded tries just before and after half time with some spirited play from both sets of players, but the away side emerged victorious 81-29 on an occasion where the score was an irrelevance considering the overall spirit of the occasion.