RAGLAN for the first time for a number of weeks had an abundance of players to select from and the game against Old Westmonians proved useful preparation for the cup game against New Panteg.
Old Westmonians battled hard but never looked capable of recovering from the three try lead that Raglan established in the first half. Nick Curtis came out of retirement to play outside half and showed he had lost none of his ability to take the correct option and exert control.
Raglan opened the scoring with a soft try when Phil Anstey disrupted the scrum half's pass and flanker Graham Smith caught the ball to score unopposed. In contrast the next try went the length of the field, with Brian Jones using his pace to run in from halfway.
Some stern tackling stifled Raglan's willingness to run the ball so Curtis eventually opted for a kick to the corner. A misdirected throw was taken by Andy Howells who drove over and Gwyn Bradley added a goal conversion,
A number of substitutions were made at half-tome and the second half lacked fluency. There was also a string of penalties against the visitors which caused frustration and the game became static.
The Raglan defence held out and the deadlock was broken when replacement hooker Ollie Mathers collected a loose ball at the front of the lineout and outpaced the cover defence.
Old Westmonians showed great spirit and were rewarded with a try before Raglan had the final say when some good interpassing was finished off by the hooker who went over for his second try to give Raglan a 31-7 pts victory.