Ebbw and Bargoed stay out in front in Championship race

ONLY five matches into the Championship season and it’s already looking like it could be a two-horse race for the title between Ebbw Vale and Bargoed.

Both won for the fifth time in a row yesterday to sit on 24 points at the top of table, but the two victories came in very contrasting ways.

The match of the day was at Eugene Cross Park where international referee Nigel Owens was drafted in to oversee Ebbw Vale’s showdown with Newbridge.

But the exciting game any neutrals there were hoping for didn’t materialise and in the end it was a rather one-sided 37-7 win for the hosts who scored five tries through Ronny Kynes, Tom Ashmead, Josh Lewis, Josh Davies and Wes Cunliffe.

All Newbridge could muster was a solitary first-half try for Tom Edwards converted by Neil Burnett. Dan Haymond kicked nine points for the Steelmen and Lewis also added a penalty.

In stark contrast, Bargoed had to fight tooth and nail to edge past Cardiff Met 21-20 – but that doesn’t tell the whole story of a classic match of two halves in the Welsh capital.

Pierre Tucker and Connor Trueman crossed for Cardiff Met tries and Mark Cooke converted both and landed two penalties to give the home team a commanding 20-0 advantage at the interval.

Whatever the team talk was from the Bargoed coaches at half-time did the trick as Gareth Dare, Lee Pearson and James Howe crashed over and Josh Prosser added the extras to all three to complete a remarkable turnaround.

That wasn’t the only Championship fixture where two clubs were separated by one point.

Further East, Pontypool, searching for a first victory, were seconds away from breaking their duck at home to Bridgend Athletic when the visitors’ Lloyd Evans touched down with the last play of the game.

Steve Lewis, who had earlier slotted three penalties and converted Dan Davies’ score, banged over the conversion off the inside of the post to deny Pooler at the death. Pontypool had outscored their rivals in the try stakes with Clayton Gullis, Elliott Goodman and Matt Thomas crossing but it wasn’t to be as they lost 23-22.

At the Dairyfield, Llanharan raced into a 12-0 lead at half-time against Beddau having had a keen wind behind them for the first period. Full-back Sion Summers and centre Ryan Evans crossed and Cody Rees converted one.

Things were different in the second-half but with Rees kicking a crucial penalty, Beddau had to make do with a losing bonus point as a try and penalty by left wing Chris Roberts plus a conversion by Tom Benjamin was all they could manage. Llanharan held on for a 15-10 victory.

There was no separating Glamorgan Wanderers and Whitland as they fought out a 20-20 draw despite the hosts scoring three tries to two for the West Walians.

Lloyd Chalk, Owen Marshall and Josh Jacas were the try scorers for Wanderers while Will David and Mark Jones replied. The boots of Owen Thomas and Scott Newton were responsible for the rest of each side’s points.

Narberth moved up to sixth in the table courtesy of a four-try 35-15 success over Bonymaen with Rhys Roberts notching a try, two conversions and a hat-trick of penalties for the winners.

Finally, Blackwood were blitzed 38-9 at Tata Steel for whom Martin Luckwell (2), Cameron Davies, Jordan Skidmore and Gareth John crossed.