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Bedwas 29-48 Ystrad Rhondda, WRU National Championship, Saturday May 13
Three tries in the last ten minutes saw injury-hit Bedwas sink to defeat at home to fourth-placed Ystrad Rhondda.
On what was a sunny, breezy afternoon at the Bridgefield, Bedwas took the lead in the first minute through Harry Oliver, who charged down an Ystrad kick before gathering the ball and crossing the line.
Iwan Burgwin, who was kicking duties for the afternoon, missed the conversion.
The visitors hit back and were awarded a penalty try after Bedwas were deemed to have pulled down a driving maul.
Bedwas’ Evan Wood, who is at the club on permit from Merthyr, was sent to the sin bin as Ystrad took the lead.
However, Bedwas retook the lead with a try in the 16th minute, with Adam Williams intercepting an Ystrad pass to run in from 70 metres. Burgwin’s conversion added two extra points.
However, Burgwin missed a penalty chance before the visitors were reduced to 14 men with scrum-half Callum Phillips shown a yellow.
Bedwas made the most of the advantage as Adam Williams pounced on a stray pass before offloading to Ben Sier, who set up winger Aaron Billingham for a try.
Burgwin’s conversion attempt failed, but Bedwas now had a 17-7 lead.
But the lead was squandered, with two tries from Morgan Burgess, both going unconverted by Rhys Truelove, levelled the affair.
But it was Bedwas who peeped ahead before the break, with Tommy Chapman squeezing over the line for an unconverted try – guaranteeing the four-try bonus point.
Try number five came Bedwas’ way five minutes into the second half, with Adam Williams grabbing his second of the afternoon. Burgwin’s conversion gave the hosts a 12-point cushion.
It was short-lived however, as the visitors responded with a Nathan Hughes try, converted by Truelove to reduce the arrears to five points.
Ystrad started causing Bedwas more problems and soon levelled the tie through replacement Callum Green, with Truelove’s conversion putting the visitors ahead.
It went from bad to worse for Bedwas, with visiting prop Callum Dawe extending the lead to seven points with an unconverted try.
Nathan Hughes then rubbed salt in Bedwas wounds with his second try of the game to put the Rhondda outfit 12 points ahead, despite the missed conversion.
Bedwas were now out of range of the seven-point losing bonus point, and Ystrad still weren’t finished.
No.8 Tom Jevons sealed the result with another Ystrad try, converted by Truelove.
Bedwas remain seventh in the league after the defeat and will play their final game of the season on Saturday May 20, hosting Tata Steel.
Match report and imagery courtesy of Ian Lovell of Bedwas RFC
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