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Pat Tapley set to join century club
Bedford Blues wing Pat Tapley is set to become the latest member to join the illustrious century club at Goldington Road having been named in the starting line-up for tomorrow’s trip to Coventry.
To date, the 29-year-old has made 99 competitive appearances for Mike Rayer’s side, scoring 48 tries, including a memorable hat-trick against Richmond back in 2016.
On reaching the milestone, Tapley said: “Bedford has become like a second home for me since first signing with the club in 2013. Bedford Blues and their loyal supporters have made me feel very welcome from the beginning, their unwavering support and energy is why I love living in this town.
“I will always thank Mike Rayer for giving me a chance and then the continuing opportunity to play for this prestigious club.
“The team cannot wait to get back into the swing of it with the upcoming Championship season and creating memories for not just us, but for everyone that sees us play.”
Tapley started his spell during the 2013/14 campaign and quickly established himself as a mainstay in the team, becoming the club’s top try scorer in his second season with 16 from 26 appearances.
Another fruitful campaign in 2015/16 saw the winger named in the Championship Dream Team, and Tapley’s stock continued to rise again following another memorable season.
Desperate to travel, Tapley took a sabbatical at the end of the 2016/17 season, spending the following year down under and linking up with former Blues fly-half Myles Dorrian at Warringah Rats.
Upon his return to Bedford, the club managed to combine his rugby activities with a pathway for life after the game as he took up a teaching assistant role at Blues Community partners, St James Primary School.
On the field, Tapley has continued to impress and has added a further 25 appearances and seven more tries to his resume, cruelly being denied his spot in the Blues century club last year by the premature end of the Championship season due to COVID-19.
Pat Tapley’s Bedford career in statistics:
Matches: 99
Starts: 94
Tries: 48
Minutes on the field: 7,425
Average minutes per game: 75
Full Game Equivalent: 92.8%
