Ponty kick off the pre-season with a narrow win over Newport

This first pre-season run-out for Pontypridd was played in four periods of twenty minutes with a large turnover of personnel at each break.

Newport enjoyed territorial advantage during a cagey start to the game, but it was Ponty who went close to scoring from a kick and chase scramble to their opponents’ line. The home team attempted to up the tempo of their play and eventually took advantage of a Newport yellow card, launching a series of forward shunts but all the pressure to no avail.

Winger Iwan Pyrs-Jones then made a decisive midfield break for Ponty but Newport responding with a drive from a quick tap penalty for prop Lewis Smout to claim a try, converted by Matt O’Brien.

Going into the second quarter Ponty maintained momentum with lively scrum half Dafydd Buckland working his back line, and again going close to scoring from a James Dixon cross kick. The home team spurned opportunities to kick for goal, favouring the line-out drive and rewarded as lock Chris Dicomidis crashed over from close range. A further period of Newport pressure culminated in a try scored by centre Jack Brooks and converted by O’Brien to register an interval score-line of 5pts to 14.

The game inevitably lost some of its tempo with so many changes made, Ponty striving to take the initiative but too often penalised for their indiscretions. Having weathered a period of Newport pressure, Ponty struck back with a dynamic wide attack followed by a series of drives, hooker Ieuan Morris going over with James Dixon adding the conversion.

Both teams were full of endeavour if a little rusty on their comeback from such a long lay-off, the contest blighted by errors with frustrations sometimes boiling over. It was Ponty who rounded off with a decisive score, stealing line-out ball and launching a wide attack for winger Cavan Davies to motor over right in the corner, sealing a narrow 17pts to 14 victory.