photo by Ian Lovell

“Our Best Ever Victory”, that is how Bridgend Blue Bulls stand in Captain Lloyd O’Connor and coach Jon Purnell described their narrow 38-36 win over the Newport Titans in a thrilling game in which both sides scored seven tries.

Decimated by injuries and late withdrawals Bridgend were forced to field five players from their U17s team while the Titans were without last weeks Wales A MOTM Mark Wheeler.

The Titans almost took the lead early on after a break from scrum half Owen Jones but the ball was knocked forward. Bridgend then had a great six minute spell scoring three tries through Rhys Hawkins, Lewis Tutt and debutant Jamie Murphy with Lloyd O’Connor adding two goals for a deserved 16-0 lead.

But the Titans hit back in style scoring four unanswered tries of there own through Matthew Dwyer, Mallick Alou, Owen Jones and Brett Green all scoring with Scott Bessant (2) and Ross Palmer adding goals to give Newport a 20-16 half time lead.

Newport looked certain to claim their first ever victory over Bridgend when substitute Brett Green scored early in the

second half and Bessant converted to give the home team a 10 point lead, and the Blue Bulls were left with just a single substitute with Shaun Owens, Gareth Rowlands and Andrew Fryer all off injured.

But the young Bulls, spurred on by the superb Lloyd O’Connor fought back, firstly O’Connor squeezed over in the corer after good work from Terry Saunders and Matthew Rowe then wing Michael Daly intercepted a poor Titans pass and raced 90 metres to score under the posts and O’Connor converted to bring the scores level at 26-26.

16 year old centre Nathan Hawkins then set up a second score for Jamie Murphy to give Bridgend the lead and Murphy converted from the touchline to put them 32-26 up before a match winning 70 metre run from Craig Chalmers sent O’Connor over for his second score which John Humphreys converted to put Bridgend 12 points clear.

With just three minutes remaining the game looked all but won but Newport, unbeaten at home this season came back again and Darrel Cooke scored out-wide with Bessant converting again, and in the final move of the game Dalton Grant broke free and sent Brett Green racing to the line to bring Newport to within two points.

The conversion would have brought the scores level in a thrilling game which neither team deserved to lose, but Bessants kick went wide and Blue Bulls celebrated a 38-36 victory.