The Bulls clawed their way back from a 14-8 half-time deficit to secure the dramatic victory. Duane Dyer and Greg Callow scored tries with Callow also adding a conversion and a penalty. Calum Jones chipped in for Bargoed with six points from the boot, with the win leaving head coach David Lynch feeling ecstatic.
He said: “We’re over the moon with the win. The players have really deserved that, as we hit a bit of a crisis of confidence. We have been getting closer and closer and we are delighted for that to come off against a good Merthyr side.
“We have deserved a win like that for a while now, and it shows the hard work the players have put in. Tactically we got it right last night, we had good discipline and a strong bench which we managed well and put them under pressure at the scrum.”
Lynch wants his side to build on the win and finish off the first-half of the Premiership season well, ready for the split.
He added: “We have three games left now, until the league splits, so we will go all out now to cause a few upsets. We have been competitive this year, and have lost a few games by narrow margins, so this will now give us a bit of confidence.”
And Bargoed’s shock win meant defending champions Pontypridd closed the gap to Merthyr after their resounding 63-14 win over Ebbw Vale.
Ponty ran in nine tries to move within five points of the Ironmen. Ceri Sweeney put Ponty on the front foot in the opening minute with a try, before Huw Dowden bruised his way over minutes later.
Ebbw Vale offered brief resistance when lock Adam Lane crossed, but Owen Sheppeard and Lewis Williams went over to put Ponty back in control.
Dafi Davies capped off a clinical half on the cusp of half-time. And after a dogged start to the second-half, Ponty put the foot down when they were awarded a penalty try before Dan Godrey benefitted from a catch and drive.
Davies and Macauley Griffiths exchanged tries before full-back Callum Hall ensured Ponty went over 60-points for the first time since September 2015.
Carmarthen Quins took another step closer to the semi-finals after they maintained their perfect record in the contest.
The Quins, who lost at the semi-final stages last season, beat Swansea 24-7 to extend their advantage over Llandovery to eight points in Pool 2 after the Drovers took a 40-7 hammering against Llanelli.
Llandovery did take the lead early on through a Tom Powell try and a James Davies conversion, but that proved to be their only points of the night as Llanelli put their foot down and ran in six tries, with the bonus-point secured before the break.
Just three points separates the top three in Pool 4 after Bridgend and Neath sealed wins against Aberavon and Cardiff respectively.
And with two rounds of games to go, it is anybody’s guess as to who qualifies for the semi-finals. The Ravens top the group with 14 points after they took revenge for last week’s 31-7 thumping against the Wizards.
But it was Bridgend who came out on top of a 10-try thriller against Aberavon on Wednesday as they found a vital bonus-point.
Jamie Murphy – on his 100th cap for the Ravens – scored an impressive 21 points that included a try and 16 from the tee.
Matthew Edwards, Kyle Maiden, Ryan Evans and Joe Gatt also crossed for Bridgend. Sam Williams dotted down twice for the Wizards, who fell 10 points short after a late score at Brewery Field.
And Neath’s 28-23 win over Cardiff ensured they kept tabs with the leading two, to give them a chance of qualifying for the semi-finals. They were made to hang on, though, after Cardiff came pushing for a late winner at the Arms Park.
Josh Guy put Neath ahead within three minutes, before William Rees-Hole levelled. But former Wales and Blues centre Gavin Evans crossed at his former ground to give the Welsh All Blacks the lead. It was proving to be a nip and tuck battle as Cameron Gibbon went over for Cardiff, before No.8 Leon Ward side-stepped his way for Neath’s third.
Bird added a penalty before half-time and found another after the break to put the hosts into a brief lead, but Ed Howley kicked two quick shots at goal from the tee to put Neath back in command. They had to defend courageously to stop a dramatic Cardiff winner, and did enough for their second Challenge Cup win.
Bedwas ran riot against Cross Keys to ensure Pool 1 remains a close affair. The three team group sees Newport top with 10-points with Bedwas and Keys trailing close behind on six.
But the Keys took a beating at the Bridgefield despite going ahead 8-0 early on. But Bedwas bit back as they punched in eight tries with Adam Williams the pick of the bunch after he scored a brace.
