Newport's Jason Forster races away to score his first try

Newport closed the gap on Welsh Premiership leaders Neath with a comprehensive win over Caerphilly at Virginia Park.

The visitors scored eight tries as they eased to their biggest win of the season.

Caerphilly matched their opponents in an even opening half hour, but they had no answer once Newport moved up a few gears.

Three penalties and a drop goal enabled the home side to lead on separate occasions in the first half, but it was Newport who showed the better finishing.

Their first try arrived after 17 minutes when winger Alex Cadwallader timed his run perfectly on the blindside to burst through the home defence.

Flanker Jason Forster added a second just after the half-hour mark with a superb solo run from 30 meters out.

MATCH DETAILS Caerphilly (12) 19 Tries: J Murphy. Cons: J Thomas Pens: J Thomas (3) Drop Goals: J Thomas. Newport (27) 65 Tries: J Forster (2), Mostyn (2), Cadwallader, Penalty (2), Veater Cons: Montgomery (4), Strange (4) Pens: Montgomery, Strange (2) Att: 1,500

And a break from inside his own half by fly-half Jason Strange led to Matt Mostyn crossing for a third score a minute before the interval.

Strange converted all three tries and slotted over two penalties to open up a 27-12 Newport lead.

Newport wasted little time in stretching their advantage after the break, but this time it was the power of their pack which made the inroads.

A powerful drive took flanker Matthew Veater over the tryline after just two minutes of second-half action, Strange adding another conversion.

Some 15 minutes later, the visitors were awarded the first of two penalty tries when Caerphilly were adjudged to have deliberately brought down a rolling maul inches from their tryline.

Caerphilly hit back with a try five minutes later, when Jarrod Murphy was sent clear after winger Owain Ashman intercepted a Shane Howarth pass. Thomas converted.

In the closing stages, Mostyn and Forster grabbed their second tries of the night and Percy Montgomery added three conversions and a penalty.

The match ended on a sour note when two players were stretchered off with suspected neck injuries.

Caerphilly scrum-half Alan Chilten was the first to leave, and then Newport centre Jon Pritchard suffered the same fate in the fourth minute of injury time.

Chilten was knocked unconcious for several minutes and was taken to hospital as a precaution, but Pritchard was back on his feet shortly after the final whistle.

His injury was a result of a high tackle which denied him a certain try, and so the referee therefore had little option but to award a second penalty try.

Montgomery added the extra points to bring the one-sided contest to an end.

Caerphilly: Jarrod Murphy; Owain Ashman, Roddy Boobyer, Sione Tuipulotu, Geraint Lewis; Justin Thomas, Allen Chilten; Lee Manning, Feao Vunipola, Darren Sweet, Darren Davies, Paul Jones, Joe El-Abd, Simon Grainger, Gareth Jones.
Reps: Luke Richards, Fionn McLoughlin, Geraint Liddon, Nic Rouse, Neil Watkins, Tim Carless, Richard Skuse.

Newport: P Montgomery; M Mostyn, J Jones-Hughes, J Pritchard, A Cadwallader; J Strange, O Tonu'u; R Snow, P Young, C Anthony, S Raiwalui (capt), M Voyle, M Veater, S Ojomoh, J Forster.
Reps: A Garvey, D Pattison, I Gough, R Jones, D Llewellyn, S Howarth, L Nabaro.

Referee: Phil Fear (WRU)