Principality Welsh Premiership, Saturday April 13 2013.
Match report by Guto Davies and photography by Robert Guy.
During a fairly scrappy opening to the game, it was a Dai Flanagan penalty that opened the scoring for Pontypridd with two minutes gone. The visiting team maintained momentum by launching a wide attack from line out possession to send winger Owen Williams over for a try.
Ponty were dominating territory as the game progressed, setting up a position for Flanagan to drill over another penalty. Bedwas were able to respond by generating a series of forward drives, eventually heading towards their opponents’ line only for Ponty to counter and again put points on the board through a Flanagan penalty.
The home team’s drives were labouring against a composed Pontypridd defence and their cause further impeded as prop Kristian Gay was yellow carded. Ponty took full advantage by launching a blind side foray from a line out take for hooker Huw Dowden to claim a try.
Bedwas finally opened their account courtesy of a penalty kicked by fly half Ethan Davies with twenty-seven minutes gone, and then pounced for an opportunist try from a turnover as winger Rory Budina raced the length of the field to score, with Davies adding the conversion. The first half came to a close with a fast and loose exchange of play, and Ponty holding an advantage of 10 points to 19.
It was Bedwas who struck first after the restart as Davies hoisted over another penalty but Ponty countering through a dynamic break made by flanker Rhys Shellard, a Dai Flanagan cross kick then inviting winger Owen Williams to gather and score, the try converted by Flanagan.
Bedwas were always a threat in driving-on from possession gained in the loose and harvested points firstly through an Ethan Davies penalty then through a try scored on a counter attack by flanker James Benjamin and converted by Davies.
The game was being played at a frenetic pace, full of thrills and spills, and Ponty next to counter and spread the ball wide for Owen Williams to register his hat-trick of tries. The scoreboard was kept in motion as Ethan Davies struck a penalty off the upright for Bedwas, before a break by centre Gavin Dacey gave Ponty impetus upfield, lock Cory Hill crossing for a try which was converted by Flanagan.
A high scoring encounter in the sun was rounded off as Ponty seized on a handling error, winger Owen Jenkins racing clear for a final try, converted by Flanagan to post an emphatic bonus point win by 26 to 48.
