The home side received a total of five yellow cards during an enthralling contest with Seb Davies receiving a red card after his second yellow card offence.
Despite being under pressure in the set pieces, it was Pontypridd who turned bad ball into good to make early advances into opposition territory, but outside half Simon Humberstone was off target with two penalty attempts.
Bristol, on their first concerted foray into the home half, struck for a score as scrum half Luke Baldwin bounced off his prospective tacklers to cross for a try which outside half Adrian Jarvis converted. The visitors now sought to up the tempo of their play, hammering at the gain line and introducing pace into their attacks wide out.
Working off a line out drive, Bristol released livewire winger David Lemi to score under the posts with the conversion added by Jarvis.
Ponty by now were struggling to lay hands on any possession, and were further impeded as lock Seb Davies received a yellow card for infringing. Having soaked up a considerable amount of pressure Ponty struck back with outside half Humberstone slotting over a snap drop goal to open their account.
Bristol responded with another phase of pressure, and Ponty further penalised as winger Chris Clayton saw yellow for a deliberate knock-on, then second row Craig Locke following him to the sin bin for infringing. Three men down, Ponty were under the cosh and conceded points as winger Lemi rounded off a wide attack with another Bristol try, converted from the touchline by Jarvis.
Defying the odds stacked against them, and the referee’s decisions which were a dominant factor, Ponty battled up to the visitors’ twenty-two, Bristol having hooker Max Crumpton yellow carded, and Simon Humberstone converting the resultant penalty for Ponty to narrow the interval deficit to 6-21.
Ponty were back to full quota as the second half got underway, with Bristol next to be punished by the referee’s whims, lock Ian Evans dispatched to the sin bin. The home pack took full advantage with a driving maul to the line, lock Craig Locke emerging from the melee as the scorer of a try which Humberstone converted.
Ponty were now competitive, muscling for possession and battling their way back into contention, only to suffer another body blow as young lock Seb Davies was sent off, receiving a second yellow card for a debatable dangerous tackle. Bristol once more made advances, using their forward power to drive up to the home twenty-two and almost going in for a score in the corner.
Ponty were able to respond with a counter attack, winger Matthew Nuthall almost latching on to a cross kick to score. The home team maintained pressure in their opponents’ half, but were serially penalised out of contention. As Bristol mauled back upfield Ponty again saw yellow as scrum half Tom Williams was ordered off for impeding, the visitors extending their lead as Adrian Jarvis slotted over the penalty.
Against all odds Ponty still battled their way back into contention, centre Dafydd Lockyer going close to scoring, but despite a concerted phase of pressure, the home attackers again thwarted by the referee’s decisions and failing to make a late breakthrough.
