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Bristol scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to come from behind to win [PA Media]
The Prem
Bristol (7) 21
Tries: Harding, penalty try, Lahiff Cons: MacGinty, Jordan
Bath (19) 19
Tries: Lawrence, Pepper, Du Toit Cons: Donoghue 2
Bristol dug deep to beat reigning Prem champions Bath 21-19 and keep alive their chances of gatecrashing the play-off places.
After losing 94-33 at leaders Northampton two weeks ago, the Bears climbed off the canvas to put in a much more diligent performance to ease the pressure on boss Pat Lam and delight a packed Ashton Gate.
Without injured playmaker Finn Russell, Bath were not at their fluent best and did not score a point in the second half as the hosts ground out a vital win in the penultimate game of the league season.
Bristol head to Sale next weekend after closing the gap on fourth-placed Exeter to a point, while Bath missed the chance to all-but secure a top-two finish.
After a scrappy, yet high-intensity opening, Bath finally put together 11 phases of pressure and Ollie Lawrence drove over from close range to open the scoring.
Bristol were being starved of the ball and a sloppy turnover led to a second for the visitors, Ben Spencer feeding Guy Pepper to fly into the corner.
Bristol reacted well with captain Fitz Harding finishing after a quick tap penalty but Bath still found time to win a penalty at a scrum which led to prolific prop Thomas du Toit burrowing in to make the score 19-7 at the break.
The hosts needed something - and were handed a penalty try when England wing Henry Arundell was sent to the bin early in the second half for a deliberate knock-on which denied Louis Rees-Zammit a score in the corner.
The rapid Rees-Zammit then almost scored a brilliant solo try to draw Bristol level but could not ground his own clever kick ahead.
Bath, restored to 15, thought they had a bonus-point try through replacement Alfie Barbeary but it was chalked off for a knock-on.
Ted Hill made a superb try-saving tackle to blunt a Bristol attack but Max Lahiff then drove over to put the home side ahead with 13 minutes remaining.
Both sides pushed for another score and Bath full-back Santi Carreras attempted to snatch victory with a stoppage-time penalty from inside his own half, but it drifted wide and Bristol took the win.
Bristol: Heward; Ravouvou, Rees-Zammit, Moroni, Van Rensburg; MacGinty, Randall; Genge, Thacker, Kloska; Dun, Batley, Owen, Harding, Grondona.
Replacements: Gwilliam, Woolmore, Lahiff, Halliwell, Taylor, Marmion, Jordan, Bates.
Bath: Carreras; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Ojomoh, Arundell; Donoghue, Spencer (c); Obana, Tuipulotu, du Toit; Hill, Ewels, Staddon, Underhill, Pepper.
Replacements: Frost, van Wyk, Sela, Richards, Bayliss, Carr-Smith, Redpath, Barbeary.
Sin bin: Arundell (44)
Referee: Karl Dickson
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