WELSH PREMIERSHIP Bridgend (17) 35 Tries: C Horsman, S Van Rensburg (2), A Carter. Cons: Cull (3). Pens: Cull (3). Cardiff (7) 12 Tries: Muller, Walne. Cons: Robinson. Att: 500

Bridgend kept their title aspirations on track by beating Cardiff and will win the league with another victory over Neath on Tuesday night.

The Ravens outscored a 14-man Cardiff by four tries to two, but the real turning point of the game came after just 15 seconds of the second half.

Cardiff substitute Chris Stamatakis was sent off for raising his elbow and following through into full-back Gareth Cull.

The Ravens made full use of the extra man and secured the victory which sets them up for a possible title deciding game against Neath.

Bridgend started brightly in front of their home fans with Josh Taumalolo quick to show the Ravens attacking intentions.

He broke through the Cardiff defence to release Lenny Woodard to cross the game line. Fortunately for Cardiff, Peter Muller was able to turn Woodard and stop him grounding the ball.

Despite being forced to defend for long periods, it was Cardiff who got on the score sheet first.

Taumalolo on the attack for Bridgend

Nicky Robinson's clever chip in midfield opened up a gap which Muller took full advantage of as he ran under the posts from 40 yards.

The game then descended into a scrappy affair with both sides trading mistakes.

Bridgend finally got a reward for their perseverance half way into the first period with prop Chris Horsman levelling the scores as he drove over the line.

Indeed, it was another mistake which opened the door for Van Rensburg to add another try for Bridgend.

Maama Molitika charged down Robinsons kick, leaving Leon Andrews to contend with a barrage of Bridgend players running for a free ball.

Andrews managed to regain possession, but lacking support, was unable to stop Van Rensburg stealing the ball and putting Bridgend into the lead.

Cull slotted over the conversion and later added a penalty to give the Ravens a ten point lead at half-time.

Cardiff fly-half Nicky Robinson

The start of the second half changed the game. The Blue and Blacks introduced Chris Stamatakis, however his time on the field will be one of the shortest to record.

With just 15 seconds of the second half played, referee Nigel Williams had no other option than to show him the red card for his late tackle on Gareth Cull.

Stamatakis made no attempt to lower his elbow after Cull had released the ball, and so walked off leaving Cardiff to play the remainder of the game a man down

Rubbing salt into the wound, Cull duly shock away any dizziness to slot over the resulting penalty.

Bridgend made use of the extra man in the pack by pressing the Cardiff defence on their own line.

Forward pressure told when Anthony Carter bounced over the goal line to add another try.

Despite being one man down, it was Cardiff who looked to run the ball.

After creating a huge overlap following some slick passing, wing Nick Walne slide over in the corner to give the Blue and Blacks some hope.

Llanelli v Neath

The hope didn't last long however. Van Rensburg once more exploited Cardiff's weakness in the pack and drove over from close range for his second try of the match.

That put the game beyond Cardiff and secured the victory Bridgend required.

Neath need to win their game against Llanelli on Saturday to keep their title challenge alive, but the Ravens know that another win on Tuesday night will see them crowned champions.

Bridgend: Gareth Cull; Lenny Woodard, David Bishop, Josh Taumalolo, Anthony Carter; Craig Warlow, Huw Harries; Steve Pope, Andrew Joy, Chris Horsman, Deiniol Jones, Nathan Budgett, Richard Bryan (capt), Maama Molitika, Shawn van Rensburg.
Reps: Matt James, Sililo Martens, Graham Thomas, Ben Phillips, Jon Thiel, Ryan Jones, Mike Powell.

Cardiff: Donavan van Vuuren; Nick Walne, Matt Allen, Pieter Muller, Leon Andrews; Nick Robinson, Dean Dewdney; John Yapp, T Rhys Thomas, Kenneth Fourie, Heino Senekal, Adam Jones, Jim Brownrigg, Emyr Lewis (capt), Robin Sowden-Taylor.
Reps: Tim Payne, Lewis Collins, Chris Stamatakis, Dan McShane, Chris Miller, Nick Macleod, Lee Abdul.

Referee: Nigel Williams (Bryncoch)