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Specsavers National Championship

Match Report by Lynn West

Another forgettable day in the life of a Beddau rugby supporter, if the match were the only focus.  Happily the match was sponsored by a group of former players, many of whom were Division 1 Winners, and the presence of former heroes within the ranks proved surprisingly uplifting.

As to the match, despite some bright moments early on Bargoed had too much power and nous to be thrown off-course and despite Beddau narrowly winning the penalty count their continuing misfortunes at lineout time rendered that option a non-starter.  Quite seriously some thinking is required here.  For Beddau Matthew Howells was this week`s villain of the piece.  This is less than fair.  The hooker contributes rather more to the game than the lineout throw and Howells is fully involved in the action elsewhere as is Will Haly, who also had a miserable return at Glamorgan Wanderers.

The early play showed Beddau looking the more prominent until a Bargoed penalty provided lineout possession.  The first drive was held but Bargoed came again and a try was awarded with the conversion sliding wide.

Beddau once again engaged fully in the exchanges with Sam Edwards on his first start providing some strong carries at inside centre.  The meaty Bargoed pack were having the better of the collisions and a fast breakaway unit forced some hurried play by Beddau until a wild pass was hacked on by Bargoed for the pack to bring it under control allowing scrum half James Leadbetter to score at the posts for Steffan Jones to convert.

When Bargoed won a scrum penalty Steffan Jones, whose control at outside half was a prominent part of Bargoed`s game, landed the long range kick to make it 0-15.

Beddau took the play into range of the Bargoed posts where they won a decision.  The obvious, to some, kick for goal became the sadly predictable working of the touchline.  The touch finder was excellent but the lineout was lost.  Beddau`s pressure though made the Bargoed exit difficult when a controversial refereeing decision got them out of gaol.  A flashing pass across the face of goal was dropped by the first receiver with the ball at the mercy of a trio of Beddau players.  A Bargoed player dived on the loose ball upgrading the scrum to a penalty which, given its position and the proximity of Beddau`s attackers could quite easily have meant a penalty try and a yellow card.  But, of course the player with arms outstretched in front of his body had managed to not knock-on and the moment had passed.

Not just passed though as Beddau offended in trying to retrieve the ball.  Bargoed`s long clearance gave them the platform of a secure lineout and Steffan Jones sent the ball spiralling to the other touchline where more strong work up front opened up for Barney Nightingale to pop up between the centres for a try that Steffan Jones converted.

From the restart Bargoed gathred and made strides until an ambitious pass was picked off by Adam Ashford who ran in for Hywel Chatham to convert.  Beddau would have taken a 7-22 deficit at half-time but from somewhere 4 minutes of injury time had been found and a blistering break fom Steffan Jones was finished by Grant Rogers with Jones making it 7-29 at the interval.

From the beginning of the second half Beddau`s efforts to stabilise were unhinged when Bargoed grabbed a ball that had been spilled and within two brisk passes centre Rhys Humphries scorched away on an outside break for a fine try again converted by Steffan Jones.  A touchline gain from a penalty alloed Bargoed`s forwards to again trundle towards the Beddau line where hooker Rhys Buckley claimed the try and Steffan Jones bagged the conversion.

It was not until the final two minutes that Bargoed struck again but it was with two seven pointers.  First replacement Jordan Purcell showed a fine burst of pace to slice through tired defenders and then after a well constructed attack involving forwards and backs centre Rhys Humphries dived in at the flag for Callum Jones to land a fine conversion.  Beddau may feel a little bullied at conceding 14 points with the game practically done and dusted but all in all it was a display by Bargoed that fully earned a big win.