BEDFORD BLUES 23
MOSELEY 7
Bedford had to battle the elements as well as a game Moseley side as they brought their losing streak to an end on Friday night.
It certainly won’t go down as a classic but the Blues dug deep and came away with the points from a fixture that is always tricky.
Yes, the wind was swirling and the rain was making the ball nearly impossible to catch but at the end of the day, a win is a win and the Blues definitely needed this one.
“All the lads are elated that we’ve got the four points,” said forwards coach Martin Hynes.
“It seems to have been a long time coming and it was certainly ugly but sometimes that’s the way it has to be. There’s times when you can play fantastic, flowing rugby and lose so we are more than happy with the result.
“After the injury problems that we have had it was also nice to see some of the boys returning. I thought Gregor Gillanders had a great game and Mike Howard made an impact when he came on as did Brendan Burke.
“But credit to the 22, they all played their part and there are guys like Paul Tupai who are still putting in the big hits while carrying knocks and never complaining. It goes to show the spirit in the lads that we have and they never stop plugging away.”
It was never going to be the easiest of games in very damp conditions and it was fair to say that the rain that poured throughout the day and into the night certain played havoc when it came to handling.
The opening exchanges were few and far between but it was clear that both sides wanted to put the opposition under pressure with some tricky high balls and a few knock-ons duly followed.
Bedford were having a fair amount of success at the ruck and Phil Boulton was sharpest to pinch the ball and as the Blues flooded forward, Moseley were caught offside and Brad Davies converted the effort well.
Moseley fired back immediately and it was the slippery ball that played its part. A knock-on from the restart handed the visitors a scrum in Bedford’s 22. The visitor cranked up the pressure with a lineout and scrum, but when they earned a penalty they took it quickly and played it along the line to Mike Gillick who went over in the corner before Andy Borgen converted superbly.
The Blues weren’t performing to the best of their ability but their lineout was functioning perfectly and this led to a series of phases through Ben Lewitt, Dan Richmond and Tupai with Nick Walshe and Davies looking to release the backs as quickly as possible.
James Knight thought that he had got the Blues opening try in the 27th minute when Bedford appeared to turn over a ruck deep in Moseley’s 22 but as the centre went over the ref blew up for hands in the ruck.
Three minutes later and the Blues did cross the try line and it was a fine effort. Tupai broke from the back of a scrum and was supported well by Liam Roberts as he crashed into Moseley’s defence. As quick as a flash Walshe found Gillanders and the returning flanker galloped over the line to score under the posts giving Davies a simple conversion.
Borgen had the opportunity to bring Moseley level in the 38th minute when the Blues were called up for going in at the side, but his effort just didn’t have the legs on it to get over the bar and the Blues went into the break leading 10-7.
Going down the slope in the second half the Blues seemed to be in control of the game as the looked to keep possession as much as possible.
The lineout continued to do its job and the backs certainly weren’t afraid to look for space with Ian Davey and Ollie Dodge both showing pace on the wings.
Davies extended Bedford’s lead with another sweetly struck kick after Moseley were caught offside as the Blues looked to push forward.
Moseley were being put under the cosh and as soon as they got the ball, Bedford’s defensive line pushed forward quickly to force a punt downfield.
The Blues second try followed a well executed lineout when Alex Rae collected the ball and the pack pushed on. A few fans groaned as Walshe sent a high kick Moseley’s way, but the moans turned to cheers as Dodge chased down the ball and set up a ruck in Bedford’s favour. Richmond acted as scrum half to link up with Walshe and his pass found Knight who in turn sent it wide to Luke Fielden who had joined the line. The full back showed a great turn of pace to go through the Moseley defence and he shot towards the line to score and once again Davies made no mistake with the kick.
Unfortunately it was Fielden’s last involvement in the game as he went off injured but with an hour gone the game was pretty much wrapped up and Moseley looked a depleted side.
Ian Vass, Dan Seal, Chris Goodman and Myles Dorrian all featured in the final 20 minutes and the Blues only added another Davies penalty to their tally but it was more than enough to put the game out of reach.
Scorer. Bedford: Tries; Gillanders, Fielden – Con; Davies (2) – Pen; Davies (3). Moseley. Try; Gillick – Con; Borgen.
Teams. Bedford: Fielden (Burke 59), Dodge, Knight, Roberts (Dorrian 71), Davey, Davies, Walshe (Vass 63), Walsh, Richmond (Locke 80), Boulton (Seal 58), Harlock (Howard 66), Rae, Gillanders, Lewitt, Tupai (Goodman 69).
Moseley: Thirlby, Bressington, Spee (MacBurnie 47), Reay, Gillick, Borgen (Roberts 41), A Willams (Taylor 71), N Williams, Oselton (Protherough 58), Sigley (Harden 52), Hall (Muldowney 51), Stott, Mason (Pennycock 61), Rowland, Rodwell.
Attendance: 2282