Bedwas 13-20 Pontypridd

In a typical “game of two halves” which was dominated by the elements, Pontypridd had to dig deep to secure a valuable away win over a resilient Bedwas side.

The blustery conditions, with a strong wind and heavy showers driving down the Bridge Field ground, were obviously going to be a major factor. With the wind behind them from the off, Ponty concentrated on keeping ball in hand rather than kicking for position, but the game remaining at a stalemate, and scoreless for the first fifteen minutes.

A sharp break by wing Lewis Williams from within his own twenty-two showed a glimpse of what Ponty could achieve as they gradually got the better of things. Their efforts were finally rewarded with two converted tries, sandwiched between two well struck Dean Gunter penalties, and both coming from close range forward drives with Nathan Strong and Sam Hobbs claiming the glory.

Having grafted hard for possession, solid in the set pieces and showing fine support skills, Ponty were looking good for their 20 point interval lead.

There was an early indication of the way the contest would pan out as Bedwas drove over for a try straight from the restart, the score claimed by Rob Carter and converted by Gethin Worgan. As Ponty attempted to play out of their own half in the face of concerted Bedwas pressure, the scoreboard was kept ticking over by two Gethin Worgan penalties.

A tense finish was in the offing as a revitalised home team kept pressing forwards with the wind behind them, but Pontypridd showing a great deal of endeavour in defence, and dominant in the set pieces, holding out for a deserved win by 13pts to 20.

Pontypridd:

15.Matthew Nuthall. 14.Owen Williams. 13.Gavin Dacey. 12.Dafydd Lockyer. 11.Lewis Williams. 10.Dean Gunter. 9.Kristian Baller (Rhys Downes).

1.Sam Hobbs (Lewis Smout). 2.Huw Dowden (Tom Hetherington). 3.Pat Palmer (Ryan Harford). 4.Grant Harrington (McCauley Cook). 5.Chris Dicomidis. 6.Rhys Lloyd (Darren Waters). 7.Wayne O’Connor. 8.Nathan Strong – cpt.

Scorers: