BEDFORD BLUES 30
LONDON WELSH 23
Never mind sitting around at home watching the Great Escape and eating turkey sandwiches – this is what Boxing Day should be like.
More than 4,000 people crammed into Goldington Road on Saturday afternoon to watch a cracking game of rugby.
The game swung both ways with London Welsh taking the early initiative before the Blues fired back with tries from Ian Davey and Myles Dorrian. Aled Thomas and James Pritchard exchanged kicks all afternoon, but the game was won with ten minutes to go with a fabulous Luke Fielden try.
London Welsh got off to the best possible start in the second minute when Gordon Ross sold the most beautiful of dummies and made a good 30 metres before sending a tantalising chip over the defence which James Pritchard couldn’t deal with and Paul Mackey was on hand to touch down the try before Aled Jones converted.
Bedford, and Pritchard, pulled themselves together very quickly and the Canadian full back converted a penalty from just outside of the Exiles 22 when they were penalised for not releasing the tackle.
Ross had the chance to add three points, but his penalty effort went astray but Thomas did restore London Welsh’s seven point lead when he chipped over a penalty after a forward was taken out at the lineout.
The sensational start to the game carried on when the Blues opened their try scoring account for the afternoon. Luke Fielden intercepted a Welsh attack and after a ruck was formed Nick Walshe sent a beautiful box kick towards the centre field which Gregor Gillanders collected before passing to Ian Davey who showed Thomas a clean pair of heels to score. Pritchard composed himself and added the extras to level the scores.
Two minutes later and things got better for the Blues with another superb try. Again Gillanders carried the ball forward before Walshe and Brad Davies sent Sam Walsh forward. Not wanting to plough into the defence, the prop offloaded to John Harlock who linked well with Chris Goodman and suddenly Bedford were storing forward. Davey took the ball and ran an excellent line before releasing Pritchard and with one man to beat he passed to Myles Dorrian for the Australian to score and again Pritchard converted.
Unfortunately Gillanders took a knock in the build-up to the try and it proved to be his last involvement in the game and Sacha Harding came on to provide more than adequate cover.
Both sides were playing some excellent running rugby with Errie Claassens and Dominic Shabbo testing the Blues defence at every opportunity, but Ian Vass and Brad Davies were throwing in tackles left, right and centre.
Mike Howard was given a yellow card in the 31st minute after another foul at the lineout and Thomas had the chance to reduce the deficit but his penalty effort drifted wide of the uprights. Pritchard wasn’t having the same problem and he coolly slotted a second penalty seven minutes later.
Half time was supposed to be approaching, but due to injury and stoppages the referee found 11 minutes of stoppage time and Welsh used it to their advantage as they piled on pressure at a scrum and after three penalties which Welsh opted for scrums, Mr Roberts ran under the posts for the penalty try which Thomas converted to finish off the half.
Thomas wasn’t having his best day with the boot and squandered a chance to level the scores four minutes after the break, but the Blues gave away another penalty soon after and the full back didn’t make the same mistake again.
Thomas then missed another penalty but he then slotted an effort in the 55th minute, but it proved to be their final score of the afternoon and Pritchard soon levelled the scores with his fifth successful kick of the afternoon.
London Welsh were still piling on the pressure but for a change it wasn’t Bedford making handling errors as first Claassens and then Simon Whatling both let the ball slip from their grasp and Brad Davies put in a momentous tackle to keep the Exiles away from the line.
As the game entered the final ten minutes Harding connected with a tackle so sweetly that the Blues regained possession through Dan Seal and went looking for the winning score. Harding stepped in at scrum half passing to Alex Rae who found Dorrian and the Aussie sent a perfectly weighted kick towards the corner and Fielden slid over to score and Pritchard converted beautifully.
Chris Brightwell thought he had secured a bonus point when he went over with minutes to go but the ref judges that there had been crossing much to the disappointment of the crowd. As the clock ticked down the Blues turned over a late Welsh charge and Walshe punted the ball behind the sticks to seal a much needed and deserved victory.
Scorers. Bedford: Tries; Davey, Dorrian, Fielden – Con; Pritchard (3) – Pen; Pritchard (3). London Welsh: Tries; Mackey, PENALTY – Con; Thomas (2) – Pen; Thomas (3).
Teams. Bedford: Pritchard, Fielden, Dorrian, Vass, Davey, Davies (Knight 72), Walshe, Walsh, Richmond, Boulton (Seal 55), Howard, Harlock (Rae 49), Gillanders (Harding 19), Goodman, Tupai (Brightwell 49). Not used: Locke, Chudley.
London Welsh: Thomas, Shabbo, Mackey, Whatling (Starling 72), Claassens, Ross, Runciman (Lewis 77), Holford, Buckland (George 61), Ward (Boot 75), Powell, Corker (Garvey 46), Mills, Mercer, Brown. Not used: Beach, Evans.
Attendance: 4033.