EBBW Vale fly-half Josh Lewis says he's prospering from playing with a smile on his faces after landing the second Principality Premiership player of the month award, writes Chris Kirwan.

The 24-year-old from Merthyr is in his second spell at Eugene Cross Park after returning from the Scarlets and enjoyed a superb October, with a virtuoso display at Sardis Road helping down Pontypridd.

Lewis has shown his quality after bouncing back from knee injuries that blighted his time in Llanelli and is determined to help the Steelmen retain their Premiership crown.

"There's a good environment here at Ebbw Vale and I'm certainly enjoying my rugby this season," said Lewis, who works as a monumental mason.

"We had a blip at the start of the season but we've gelled well now. They are all key games from now on but we are determined to make the top eight and go onto retain the title."

Ebbw currently sit in sixth place and host Bargoed on Friday as they attempt to secure a top-half berth with five fixtures until the January split. Head coach Nigel Davies expects Lewis to play a big part in their title tilt.

The former Wales and Scarlets coach said: "Josh is a natural athlete. He's a high quality player who is eager to learn and could certainly step up to regional rugby.

"Due to injuries while at the Scarlets, he didn't have a huge opportunity to show what he can do and the big thing this season was for him to enjoy his rugby again.

"We haven't played to our potential yet, we've had to adapt due to injuries to key players, but that has helped to increase our strength in depth and give players exposure and game time.

"We've got some important wins under our belt recently, especially with some away wins over top eight contenders, but we've still got to improve our level of consistency."