Ravens fly-half Jamie Murphy, who notched up 20 points against Cardiff last weekend, was again the star, scoring all of the visitor’s points through a converted try and penalties within the first five minutes of both halves.
In a fiercely competitive game, three players were yellow carded as both sides battled hard in what were chilly conditions.
A late Neath try scored with 15 minutes remaining, made it a nervy ending for Ravens’ fans but a determined Bridgend defence held firm.
Bridgend started the game with purpose, Murphy adding an early penalty to give his side a 3-0 lead.
Minutes later, Bridgend scrum-half Williams looked certain to score but the Neath defence reacted quickly to prevent the try. From the resulting scrum, the powerful Bridgend pack won the ball against the head and the ball found its way to Murphy who dived over from close range.
Neath fly-half Dai Langdon kicked a penalty to get the hosts on the scoreboard before the Ravens suffered an injury blow, winger Glen Lewis replaced by John Leyshon.
Both sides kicked away possession in the run up to the interval but only a try-saving tackle from Bridgend’s Tom Grabham stopped Neath getting back into the game. With a three-man overlap on the left wing, the Welsh All Blacks looked certain to score but Grabham did just enough and the ball drifted in to touch.
With a 10-3 half-time lead, the Ravens soon extended their lead to 10 points courtesy of another Murphy penalty. Neath lock Euros Evans was penalised for offside and Murphy made no mistake from the tee.
Bridgend’s Adam Hillier-Rees and Neath’s Evans were then yellow carded but neither side benefited from the extra space on the field and the only opportunity for points fell to Langdon, who dragged his penalty attempt wide.
With 20 minutes remaining, Ravens hooker Arthur Ellis was shown a yellow card and Neath soon profited, captain Gareth Gravell touching down after a well-worked drive from a line-out.
The hosts then piled on the pressure with replacement Gareth King denied a try by a last ditch tackle from Andrew Waite.
Unfortunately, King looked rather the worse for wear after the hit and there followed a long stoppage as the medical team carefully stretchered him off the field with what will hopefully not be a serious injury.
When the game restarted, Neath continued to attack but the visitors held firm to secure the win.
