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Match Report v Ampthill
Bedford Blues marked their return to rugby in victorious fashion to gain the Bedfordshire bragging rights in a 36-33 humdinger against neighbours Ampthill.
Three tries in each half ensured pre-season preparations for the revised 2021 Championship season continued in inspired fashion as Bedford showcased their trademark attacking rugby to great effect to ensure the spoils in the first #BattleofBedfordshire.
Director of Rugby, Mike Rayer chose to give much needed match minutes to 32 members of the Bedford squad and it was the dream start for the visitors after clinically using the match’s first scrum to great effect.
Starting fly-half Tommy Matthews received the ball from the set piece and worked through two tackles, making 20 metres before setting winger Dani Long-Martinez away to begin the scoring. Matthews converted the try for 7-0.
Bedford’s defence was immense in the first half, Jordan Onojaife and Tui Uru the leaders of the resistance to any Ampthill attacks, putting in some massive hits and stopping the home side in their tracks.
On the one first-half occasion where Ampthill were allowed to build up ahead of steam, they secured their solitary points of the opening 40 minutes.
A couple of errors in and around the ruck allowed the hosts to gradually progress up the field before they worked a driving lineout to great effect and went over through Corey Lewis. Captain Louis Grimoldby added the extras to level the scoring.
From there until half-time, Bedford took command when bossing territory and possession and they were back playing their trademark free-flowing rugby with their second try on 22 minutes.
It was more exquisite handling to set the try in motion, Rich Lane was the first to gain significant yardage then he selflessly played the offload to Pat Tapley to sprint to the line. Matthews again added the extras.
Bedford continued to assert their dominance onto Ampthill when spending prolonged periods in the opposition 22, the hosts couldn’t deal with the pressure and received two yellows cards in as many minutes through scrum half Jonny Law and flanker Austin Wallis.
Blues made the numerical advantage count to make it 21-7 at half-time. A potential Man of the Match for the first-half, Uru, got the try his commanding performance deserved when coming off the back of a scrum and smashing his way over the line. Another Matthews conversion made it 3/3 from the fly half.
A red card to Oli Curry in the final seconds of the half overshadowed what was a truly commanding performance from Bedford yet they didn’t let the man disadvantage get them down when starting the second half like a train.
Corrie Barrett came on just before-half time and there were 13 further changes at the interval, but the cohesion with ball in hand remained and both replacement centres got in on the act by the time 45 minutes had elapsed.
The first try of the second half saw Blues go from one length of the field to the other, playing the ball smoothly through the hands before Ollie Newman made a smart 30 metre gain to make the space to play the offload for Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas to score.
Three minutes later, Ethan Grayson was over in the same corner. Again it was calmness personified as Bedford kept ball in hand and stuck to their principles to get their fifth of the afternoon. Playing into a blustery wind, Will Maisey hit the post then dragged the other conversion just wide.
That gave Blues a 31-7 advantage but like in the Six Nations in recent weekends, the red card ultimately came to make a difference as Ampthill worked their way back into the game when again using their driving maul to great effect.
Alex Humfrey bagged himself a brace from close range – Grimoldby managed to convert one of the scores amid the testing conditions to reduce the deficit to 12 points.
Bedford’s lead grew further with just seven minutes remaining. After being on the back foot for a spell of the game, injury stoppages coming at bad times and stopping momentum, it was again another fine sweeping move to get Grayson his second.
Again Ampthill refused to go away without a fight and set-up a tense finale with two quick-fire converted tries in the final minutes through Craig Duncan then Harvey Beaton.
But Blues held out to secure the 36-33 victory to begin preparations for the 2021 Championship season with appropriate aplomb.
Teams
BEDFORD BLUES
15. Rich Lane (Ryan Olowofela 40'), 14. Pat Tapley (Andre Robson 40') (Tom Litchfield 65'), 13. Elijah Niko (Oskar Hirskyj-Douglas 40'), 12. Reuben Bird-Tulloch (Ethan Grayson 40'), 11. Dani Long-Martinez (Matt Worley 40'), 10. Tommy Matthews (Will Maisey 40'), 9. Connor Tupai (James Lennon 40') (Ewan Fenley 65'); 1. Sean McCarthy (C) (Joe Wrafter 40'), 2. Jack Hughes (Jacob Fields 40'), 3. Henry Paul (Corrie Barrett 35') (Ed Prowse 65'), 4. Jordan Onojaife, 5. Lewis Bean (Will Carrick Smith 40'), 6. Oli Curry (JJ Tonks 40'), 7. Joe Atkinson (Ollie Newman 40'), 8. Tui Uru (Oli Robinson 40')
AMPTHILL RUFC
15. Ed Coulson, 14. Will Foster (54'), 13. Craig Duncan, 12. Richard Streets (5') (58'), 11. Tom Stileman (32'), 10. Louis Grimoldby (C), 9. Jonny Law (32'); 1. James Flynn (62'), 2. Corey Lewis (55'), 3. Matt Collins (55'), 4. Carl Burgess, 5. Oli Cattell (27'), 6. Alex Humfrey, 7. Austin Wallis, 8. Suvwe Obano (55')
Replacements:
16. Dave Ward (55'), 17. Alex Pleasants (62'), 18. Harvey Beaton (55'), 19. Keiron Frost (27'), 20. Jac Arthur (32'), 21. Devante Onojaife (55'), 22. Sam Bryan (32'), 23. Tommy Benjamin (54'), 24. Cameron Anderson (5') (58')
