Llanelli’s early lead overhauled by storming Bargoed

BARGOED, with the wind and sweeping rain on their backs in the second half, controlled the conditions well to earn a valuable bonus point win against Llanelli.

It took just two minutes for Llanelli to register the opening try when Nathan Hart was sent over in the corner.

Ashley Sutton converted but missed a chance to take his side 10-0 up a few minutes later when his penalty drifted wide.

Bargoed struck back on 15 minutes when Barney Nightingale picked up Josh Prosser’s chip to ground in the corner. Prosser missed the conversion.

With 12 minutes to go in the first half, Bargoed were temporarily reduced to 14 men after Ashley Norton saw yellow for a deliberate knock-on, but Llanelli were able to increase their lead only to 10-5 thanks to a Sutton penalty.

That was cancelled out just before the break as Prosser’s successful kick addressed the balance.

Just 90 seconds into the second half, Bargoed took the lead for the first time thanks to an unconverted Ashley Gibson try in the corner.

A penalty try six minutes later increased the advantage to 20-10 before a Rhys Buckley try in the corner, converted well by Prosser, earned them the bonus point.

A flurry of replacements from Bargoed on 65 minutes slowed their pace down a bit, but they’d done enough to secure maximum points.