Having suffered successive home defeats to Merthyr in the WRU National Cup and Tier 1 of the Principality Premiership, Bedwas were determined not to fail again and they hit their hosts with a first-half onslaught that swept them out of the competition.
There were six tries from the visitors in an unstoppable opening 40 minutes that saw them race into a 43-0 lead to kill the tie stone dead. Any onlookers from Carmarthen Quins and Merthyr, who meet in the second semi-final at Aberavon’s Talbot Athletic Ground on 15 March, would have been mightily impressed by the clinical approach from last season’s runners-up.
It took Bedwas just two minutes to set the scoreboard moving when 44-year-old prop Chris Budgeon went over. That set the tone for the day and where the veteran Kiwi led, so Nicky Griffiths (twice), James Richards, Pat Lewis and Aaron Bramwell followed in the first-half blitz.
Richard Powell chipped in with a penalty and five conversions and not even a Tom O’Flaherty score in the opening moments of the second half, converted by Joe Scrivens, could knock Bedwas out of their stride. Lewis raced over for his second try and then No 8 Geraint Edmunds crossed for the eight try.
Exeter Chiefs-bound O’Flaherty bagged a second consolation try for the Ravens at the death, but it was not the afternoon that the Brewery Field faithful had hoped for.
