The Pitmen are in the semi-finals of the WRU National Bowl later this month and are currently one point behind Brecon in the race for the Division 1 East title. But it will be Birchgrove, currently 17 points clear of their nearest rivals at the top of their division, who will chase a first title in the Silver Ball after hitting back from an early try.
Penallta hit the front with a great counter attack that ended with a try at the posts by Corey Tucker after a neat chip over the top of the last line of defence. Lawrence Pritchard added the extras and the Pitmen were in the driving seat.
The Birchgrove attack has been strong all season, securing 10 bonus points in their 18 league games, and it didn’t take long before Lewis Cox ran through from a ruck to score a try that was converted by Matthew Edwards. A penalty from Edwards, secured by their powerful scrum, then edged Birchgrove ahead.
Back came the Pitmen, with Ross Edwards bagging a second try from a line-out and Pritchard kicking the conversion. Edwards then kicked a penalty to stretch the lead to seven points, but things were turned on their head before the break.
Birchgrove, aiming to end a 13 match winning streak by Penallta since they lost their only game of the season coming into the quarter-final, against Brynmawr on 13 October, came battling back into the contest with two tries that turned the game on its had and gave them a 24-17 interval lead. Lee Harris got the first, Matthew Edwards the second and both were converted by Edwards.
Edwards missed with three more shots at goal in a tense second half before finally nailing a vital fourth to make the game safe after Pritchard had cut the gap to four points on the hour mark with a penalty for Penallta.
Their 27-20 win means Birchgrove will now meet the winners of Wednesday night’s (20 March) clash between Ystalyfera and Rhiwbina in the final quarter-final at Kenfig Hill (kick-off 7.15pm). The Squirrels will be looking to put behind them a recent run of three defeats in their last four outings in Division 1 East Central which has seen them fall 14 points behind league leaders Glamorgan Wanderers.
The winners will meet Birchgrove in the semi-finals on 17 April. The other semi-final is between Nantyffyllon and Senghenydd on 10 April. The final is set for Saturday, 18 May at Bridgend’s Brewery Field.
