Fixture

 

The Bulls were dominant from the off but a couple of kickable penalties were spurned in favour of kicks to touch with the intent of driving over from lineouts but the Foxes were having none of it and the home crowd cheered every tackle and turnover. The first score came just after the first quarter, an up and under from full back James Hallet was knocked on and with referee Gwyn Morris playing an advantage the ball was snaffled up and moved quickly to centre Darren Humphries who crossed for the opening try which went unconverted.

 

Two minutes later Bargoed extended their lead when captain and hooker Leigh Meades burst upfield from a ruck on the Bedlinog twenty two and fed wing Dai Evans who bamboozled his opposite number with great footwork to cross to make it 0-10 as the conversion was pushed wide.

 

The home side was reduced to fourteen just after the half hour with a yellow card for number eight Andrew Murphy taking a Bargoed player off the ball with a shoulder charge and referee Morris squared it up two minutes later with a yellow for Bulls' prop Rhys Morgan for a shoulder charge clearing out at a ruck.

 

Julian Mogg kicked a penalty on the stroke of half time to give Bargoed a healthy 0-13 lead at the break.

 

Bedlinog looked a different side from the start of the second half and tore into Bargoed establishing field position and maintaining possession in a way that had eluded them in the first forty. It paid off just ten minutes in with a catch and drive from a lineout and centre Thomas Farrar-Evans found himself last man up from under a pile of bodies clutching the ball. The kick didn't go over but the Foxes were back on the scoreboard again two minutes later when a simple eight-nine move off he back of a scrum put right wing Sam Farrar-Evans over to match his brother's earlier effort. Gavin Payne converted and the home crowd sniffed an upset with the score 12-13.

 

Payne put in a fine effort with a long range penalty which would have given Bedlinog the lead for the first time but it had plenty of distance but drifted right of the posts.

 

The game was finely poised and going down to the wire when Bargoed appeared to have sealed it with a James Hallet penalty as the clock turned eighty only for Foxes outside half Ben Grzesia to put over a quick drop goal in reply to make it 15-16. Bedlinog needed more than three points with time running out and with four minutes past the eighty on the clock, a searing break from replacement Calum Jones almost put wing Duane Dyer in at the corner before number eight Ross Coombes was driven over from short range for a try converted by Hallet to provide much needed relief to the Bargoed faithful who saw their side eventually overcome a gritty and determined Bedlinog by 15-23.