Leading 11-3 moving into the closing five minutes it looked as though the Old Firm were in charge and heading for victory. It was one penalty apiece in the first half – Gethin Coleman hitting the mark first for the home side and then Callum Hall levelling things up – to leave the game hanging in the balance at 3-3.
Mountain Ash then hit the front with a try from full back Iestyn Robins after good work in the midfield. Hall couldn’t add the extras from the touch line, but did kick a second penalty to make it 11-3.
Then came the late drama with a try from an overthrown line out by Andrew Murphy which Coleman converted to make it a one-point game. Bedlinog threw the kitchen sink into those final few minutes, but weren’t able to find the score they needed to win.
Newbridge turned a 50-50 game at half-time against Rhydyfelin into a merry romp in the end as they ran in seven tries to win 43-10 in the WRU Division 1 Cup.
In their first game in Group D they lost two players to the sin-bin in the first-half and found themselves leading by only two points at 12-10. The visitors matched them try for try in the opening period, with Jordan Rees and Luke Weygood grabbing their scores, but it was a different story after the break.
Newbridge went into overdrive and plundered four tries out on the wings with both Sam Watkins and Lawson Perry ending up with braces. Other tries came from hooker Stuart Vokes, scrum half Matthew Davies and centre Johnny Paynter, with Robbie Turley kicking three conversions and Eamon Rees another.
In the other game in Group D, Monmouth overcame Barry 30-17, while in the North, reigning Division 1 champions Llandudno just scraped home 7-3 in Group O at home against Ruthin. In a huge physical contest, the Goats struck first with a try from hooker Aaron Williams that was improved by Morgan Bagshaw.
In the act of scoring, Williams picked up a nasty facial injury and had to be taken to hospital to undergo a head scan. Ruthin hit back with a penalty, but there were no more points in the game after the teams changed ends with the hosts ahead 7-3.
Pontypool United were their own worst enemy as they fell 19-11 at home to Rumney in Group B as they concede 12 points to penalties having lead early on. Rumney picked up a penalty try to move out to 13-6 before the home side cut the gap to two points with a try of their own.
Rumney have to welcome last season’s WRU Plate winners Penallta in the next round of matches. The Pitmen turned a 27-15 interval lead at home on their speedy artificial surface into a 52-22 win over Treorchy in a repeat of last season’s Plate final at Principality Stadium.
