News

REPORT | Late sucker punch in Hartpury defeat

Posted: 24th February 2024

A heroic second half Bedford Blues comeback was ultimately in vain as Alex Morgan’s try with the clock in the red saw Hartpury University to a 41-35 victory at Hartpury University Stadium.

Without question, a game of two halves as Blues somehow picked themselves back off the canvas in the second half after a disastrous opening 40 minutes left them staring a heavy defeat straight down the barrel.

It was a fantastic effort to get back in the fight, and they even led 35-34 with four minutes of the contest to go, but Hartpury found that one final moment to take the initiative back and get themselves back in the fight for the Top Four positions.

Blues just don’t seem to be able to start well this season and this was one mountain too high to climb having fallen 21-0 down early doors in the contest.

Hartpury just wanted it so much more than Bedford in those opening exchanges and Blues hadn’t even make an entry to the opposition 22m before conceding the third of those tries.

Their skipper, Will Crane set them in motion before further scores from Morgan Adderley-Jones and Louis Hillman-Cooper. The influential Harry Bazalgette kicked all this extras all throughout the afternoon.

Blues needed something and they at least had something to fight for thanks to some ingenuity from Sean French out wide to create the gap, release Dean Adamson who in turn offloaded for Jake Garside to sprint home.

A rocket was needed at the break and that must have been served as Blues looked a completely different unit in the second half – more fire in the belly, more desire and more creativity to work their way back into a contest.

There were still errors, particularly at the breakdown and when trying to exit from their own territory, and those ultimately gave Hartpury enough to win the game. Those moments of magic secured two points; better than nothing considering the position they were in at the break.

Another moment of brilliance from French sent Adamson to the line before a penalty try got them to within three at 24-21.

That resulted in one of three yellow cards handed out to Hartpury during the course of proceedings – another sore point as Blues couldn’t take advantage of having a man advantage for a total of 30 minutes.

Hartpury’s bonus point score threatened to kill the contest but Blues weren’t taking anything lying down, and Cameron King’s try – deserved following a Man of the Match performance – had them again interested.

On the occasion of ticking over 500 points as a Bedford Blues player, Will Maisey’s neat combo with Louis Grimoldby and subsequent conversion of his own score put Blues in-front for the first time as the game ticked down.

But they couldn’t hold on as Hartpury rallied with the final passage of play to take the spoils.

*Matchday Photography by Gary Lea*

Teams

BEDFORD BLUES

15. Matt Worley, 14. Sean French, 13. Jamie Elliott (66'), 12. Michael Le Bourgeois (C), 11. Dean Adamson, 10. Will Maisey, 9. Jake Garside (55'); 1. Jamie Jack (44'), 2. Jacob Fields (44'), 3. Oisin Heffernan (44'), 4. Robin Williams (53'), 5. Tom Lockett, 6. Luke Frost, 7. Jac Arthur (44'), 8. Cameron King (64')

Replacements

16. James Fish (44'), 17. Joey Conway (44'), 18. Ed Prowse (44'), 19. Alex Woolford (53'), 20. Joe Howard (44'), 21. Kieran Curran (64'), 22. James Lennon (55'), 23. Louis Grimoldby (66')

HARTPURY UNIVERSITY

15. Jacob Morris, 14. Louis Hillman-Cooper, 13. Robbie Smith, 12. Morgan Adderley-Jones, 11. Alex Morgan, 10. Harry Bazalgette, 9. Mike Austin; 1. Aristot Benz-Salomon (72'), 2. Will Crane (C), 3. Jon Benz-Salomon, 4. Dale Lemon (64'), 5. Jack Davies, 6. Sam Lewis, 7. Harry Short (64'), 8. Jarrard Hayler (66')

Replacements:

16. Ethan Hunt, 17. Mikey Summerfield (72'), 18. Joe Rees, 19. Freddie Thomas (64'), 20. Josh Gray (66'), 21. Joe Williams, 22. Brad Denty, 23. Harry Taylor (64')