Bedford Athletic Rugby Club

The victory was made even sweeter as the try scoring bonus point was secured but the team will still reflect on a lack of composure and poor execution at important times which prevented a bigger winning margin.

Spalding started the game the sharper side and made the early running. They eventually prospered when a home move broke down with the ball cannoning into the hands of the visiting flanker. A swift counter attack up the left wing caught the home defence out of position and the move was finished off by Tom Duerden for the opening score. Dave Hankinson converted the try to give Spalding a 10-0 lead. Bedford Athletic worked their way back into the game and profited on 16 minutes when clean line out ball was moved across the backs to Tommy Mills on the left wing. Mills shrugged off three tackles to sprint over the line from 40 metres, James Mortimer failing to add the conversion. Mills was on hand again eight minutes later when he collected a cross field kick from Mortimer to dance inside two tacklers and carry a further two over the line for the second try. This gave Bedford Athletic a 10-7 lead and James Mortimer made this 13-7 at half time with a penalty on 35 minutes.

Bedford Athletic began the second half in control but soon unnecessary penalties and too many dropped balls saw them concede territory and possession. 15 minutes into the half a poor pass from a line out saw the defence under pressure and a penalty conceded in front of the posts. Although Hankinson missed this, Spalding soon took advantage from another Bedford Athletic mistake as a backs move saw the ball dropped to the floor and the Spalding defence hacked the ball on for the left winger George Brown to gather and run on to score from the half way line. Hankinson missed the conversion and although Bedford Athletic were still prone to attempting ambitious passes and making errors at crucial times they gradually built a dominant position in then game. Led by Stuart Polson in his first game as captain and with the scrum well anchored by tight head Tom Neale, Bedford Athletic had the platform to impose themselves. Eventually the pressure told and first replacement Charlie Boothby and then winger Dan Adams were sent to the sin bin for illegally halting Bedford Athletic attacks. This gave Bedford Athletic the necessary numerical advantage to firstly drive Ben Beagent over the line as the forwards piled forward and then for Ben Johnson to outflank the backs to cross for the bonus point try with 3 minutes remaining. Neither try was converted but Athletic had secured the win.

Bedford Athletic travel to Peterborough on Saturday and with two wins in the last three games they are looking to move into the top half of the table.