Published: 17/10/2009 00:00 - Updated: 03/12/2009 11:48

Blues sneak victory at Rotherham

BY SIMON HUTCHINSON

It truly was a case of stealing victory from the jaws of defeat yesterday afternoon as Bedford took the spoils at Clifton Lane.

A fine kicking performance from Rotherham’s Jonny West looked to have sealed victory, but a try from the unlikeliest of sources deep in stoppage brought the points Bedford’s way.

Sam Walsh, the ex-Titan prop who has never scored a try for Bedford, latched onto an inside pass from replacement scrum half Ian Vass to cross the whitewash and when James Pritchard slotted the extras the game was won.

“I think it’s been about three years since I last scored a try,” said Walsh after the game.

“We always knew that this was going to be a tough game and they smashed into us from the first minute until the 80th.

“It’s a difficult pitch to play on and although we made a few mistakes early on and probably should have come away with a few more points when we were in their 22, I’m just happy that we’ve picked up the win.”

The Blues didn’t get off to the most fantastic of starts when a long Luke Fielden punt up the pitch rolled out of play and brought a scrum back on the edge of Bedford’s 22. Following several scrums the ref blew for a penalty for a binding offence and West converted.

What happened in the next eight minutes could only be described as frustrating. The Blues set up camp in the Titans 22 and after five scrums and a successions of rucks the ball was knocked on and Rotherham cleared their line.

West doubled the hosts lead in the 18th minute after Bedford were penalised for not releasing a tackle but they soon scored the games opening try.

The Bedford pack looked a solid unit when Alex Rae took in a lineout ball and they powered towards the line with Dan Richmond and Paul Tupai both getting their hands on the ball. After the maul appeared to be hauled down, Will Chudley saw a gap just to the left of a pile of forwards and darted over for the score which Pritchard converted.

Chris Goodman was forced of with a rib injury following the conversion and Rotherham weren’t behind for too long as they went straight on the attack.

Myles Dorrian got caught in the no man’s land behind the Blues goal posts following a decent kick from Michael Whitehead and when the scrum went Titans way Steve Swindall broke clear to power over and West added the extras.

Nigel Conroy fell foul of the referee’s patience and was yellow carded for failing to bind at a scrum. Moments later a try looked a certainty when Bedford won another scrum on Rotherham’s five metre line, but their seven-man pack stood firm and pushed the Blues off the ball.

Bedford were then reduced to 14 when Alex Brown was carded for the exact same offence as Conroy and Rotherham rounded off the first half with another West penalty.

The second half was much of the same with the home side making things extremely difficult for the Blues and looking to find an early breakthrough.

Credit to Bedford, they held firm with reduced numbers and when their front line was restored to full force they got their reward when Dorrian, who was on particularly fine form, scored the Blues second try of the day.

Bedford won a good lineout ball and a dozen phases of play followed with the likes of Harry Spencer, Alex Rae, Brett Daynes, Ollie Dodge and Dan Richmond all taking the ball on before Vass played in the Australian fly half who side-stepped two players and crossed the line and Pritchard converted to make it 16-14.

West, who was the standout Titans player, restored a five point lead when he struck an excellent drop goal just outside the 22, but Pritchard again narrowed the difference with a penalty conversion.

Referee Michael Tutty may need a new pea for his whistle following this match with the amount of penalties that were awarded, but it was to Bedford’s advantage when Adam Kleeberger was caught a couple of metres offside and Pritchard once again added the points.

A minute later though and West restored Rotherham’s lead with a superb penalty effort from just inside his own half.

Pritchard had an effort from just outside the 22 in the 77th minute, but he sliced his attempt and it went wide of the uprights.

With the clock ticking away, West must have thought that he had wrapped up the win when he kicked a fifth penalty from the right of the posts.

Giving up isn’t in Bedford’s vocabulary though and when the ball was knocked on by a Titan hand at the restart the Blues applied the pressure to drive onwards. Ben Lewitt, Chris Locke and Fielden all powered towards the try line, but it was the vision of Vass and power of Walsh that created the final moment of joy for the visitors and Pritchard’s cool head to wrap up the victory.

Scorers. Rotherham: Tries; Swindall – Con; West – Pen; West (5) – Drop Goal; West. Bedford: Tries; Chudley, Dorrian, Walsh – Con; Pritchard (3) – Pen; Pritchard (2).

Teams. Rotherham: Whitehead, Feeley, Hunt (Farmer 16), Buckley, Swatkins, West, Chivers, Conroy, Batty (Quigley 75), Alescott, Challinor, Hayter, Kleeberger (Burrows 78), Du Plessis, Swindall. Not used: Jenkins, Voisey, Couldbeck, Rhodes.

Bedford: Pritchard, Fielden, Dodge, Roberts, Davey, Dorrian, Chudley (Vass 48), Walsh, Richmond (Locke 69), Brown (Seal 66), Spencer, Rae, Goodman (Daynes 26), Lewitt, Tupai. Not used: Harlock, Veenendaal, Taylor.