It was perfect conditions for rugby as for the second home game on the bounce Ponte ended the unbeaten start of league leaders.

Ponte’s set piece was much improved to previous weeks and with the team on the front foot they raced into ten points to nil advantage. Firstly, prop Josh Hough was pulled down inches short for Jack Beddis to pick and drive to the line. Soon after it looked like a pushover try from a scrum, but Beddis picked up and fed scrum half Linden Metcalfe for a five pointer.

Ponte were on fire and should have extended the lead when a final pass went astray with the line begging. Brods then showed why they were thus far unbeaten and, aided by Ponte’s ill discipline at the tackle and breakdown, put pressure on the Ponte line before scoring two similar tries from catch and drive line outs, to bring the scores level at half time.

Ponte managed to retake the lead early in the second half as winger Josh Milthorpe made a break out wide before feeding debutant Will Dagger on the inside for a brilliant try. Liam Kay’s conversion hit the post but made no mistake with a penalty soon after to take an eight points advantage.

The visitors reduced the arrears with a penalty of their own, but Ponte managed to score their final, and bonus point try, as superb hands along the backline found Milthorpe at full tilt to force his way over.

Brods put the game back in the melting pot as more penalties allowed Brods to kick to the corner and secure another catch and drive effort. This brought the game back to one score but a well struck penalty from near the halfway line by Kay, secured the win and send Brods home empty handed.

There were many fine performances from Ponte. Beddis took the man of the match award, closely followed by Tim Pickersgill and Kay. Special mention to young prop Tom Webley who gleaned many scrum penalties and Dagger whose elusive running and crunching tackles caught the eye.