The game started at a whirlwind pace and home outside half Lewis K Williams landed the first points via a penalty goal with only four minutes gone. Barely three minutes later it got worse for Bedwas as home number 8 Jack Davies profited from a mistake in midfield. Williams’s conversion bounced off an upright to safety.
Bedwas got back into the game via a Richard Powell penalty after eight minutes but Ponty had all the possession and all the momentum but Bedwas defended as though their lives depended upon it. Both fly halves missed penalty chances for Bedwas’s Crimmins was sin binned for a high tackle. Pontypridd profited with an unconverted try from scrum half Tom Williams. Lewis K Williams missed a further penalty chance as Pontypridd turned the screw and for a while Bedwas were under the cosh and clinging on but the home side could not turn their dominance into points.
Just before half time Bedwas hauled themselves back into the game when Arron Pinches took a quick tap penalty form 10 metres out and ran in unopposed, Powell added the conversion and the teams went into the interval with only three points behind.
Both sides struggled for fluency in the second half as replacements came on and defences ruled the roost. Four minutes after the restart Pinches became the second Bedwas player to be sin-binned – again for a high tackle but still the defence held strong and Pontypridd could not find a way through.
Powell missed a penalty chance after 51 minutes but made amends one minute later to tie up the scores. Both sides cancelled each other out and neither could conjure up a game clinching try.
With the clock running down Humberstone slotted over a drop goal to clinch the win for the home side, leaving Bedwas to ponder what could have been, although a valuable bonus point was gained.
Bedwas now face another two week lay-off as the Autumn internationals begin, the next game being at the Brewery Field, Bridgend on Sunday 16 November 2014, kick-off 2-30pm.
