Bedford Athletic picked up 2025 where they left off 2024 with a 27-13 home defeat to North Walsham on Saturday (11 January).
In a crucial game against a side two places above them, the Ath were not able to even pick up a bonus point as they fell further behind their rivals in the relegation battle.
North Walsham started the game on the front foot but Bedford Athletic held up well in defence and repelled the early attacks.
Once they secured a penalty of their own, they were able to reverse the flow of play and when Charlie Darlow stole a lineout ball the forwards made yards in the visiting 22.
The pressure eventually told, and Harry Sawford-Smith broke through for the opening try on 7 minutes, with Leo Mortimer kicking the conversion.
The momentum didn’t really shift and North Walsham remained the side with greater possession and as a result, territory in the home side’s half.
They had two kicks at goal, but both penalty opportunities were missed, however they retained the initiative also spurning two attacking 5 metre lineout opportunities.
The home side were struggling to relieve the pressure with clearance kicks not finding touch, and the home pack unable to retain their own scrum ball.
Although a 5-metre scrum was successfully repelled, the constant defending had seen a number of penalties accrued and eventually a yellow card for home full back Oli Petrides.
On the sixth opportunity, North Walsham did eventually score with winger Tawanda Kandemwa beating the defence down the left wing for North Walsham’s opening try on the half hour mark, with Ross Magnus converting.
Bedford Athletic did try to re-establish a foothold in the game before half time.
A Sam Valpy 50:22 kick saw an attacking position established, and although this did not lead to a score, it did produce a yellow card for visiting wing Wes McGuire for a deliberate knock on and a try scoring opportunity for Nick Tarr but he was held up over the line.
The half did end with another penalty kick at goal for North Walsham but again it was missed.
An early penalty put North Walsham on the front foot again early in the second half, and after a driving maul was brought down they pounded away at the home side’s line.
Following a scrum, a quick interchange of passes allowed scrum half Connor Dudley to cross in the corner and fly half Henry Dewing kicked North Walsham into a 14-7 lead on 45 minutes.
Leo Mortimer responded with a penalty almost immediately for Bedford Athletic, and they then had their best scoring opportunity when, from a set move from an attacking lineout, Charlie Darlow peeled off to allow Sawford-Smith to crash through the line only for the ball to be dropped in the act of scoring.
North Walsham weathered the pressure and the tension in the game spilled over on the hour mark with a short dust up between both sides resulting in warnings for both captains.
Shortly afterwards, Dewing kicked another penalty for a 17-10 lead.
Bedford Athletic tried to reassert themselves in the match, but a continuing lack of accuracy in possession with dropped balls and missed passes as well as an ever increasing penalty count frustrated any scoring opportunities.
It was North Walsham who looked to have sealed the game with a penalty from Dewing five minutes before the final whistle, before Mortimer pulled one back for the home side.
But looking to try and cut the deficit, the home side instead found themselves trapped in their own 22.
Trying to relieve pressure from their own scrum, they lost possession at the base of their own scrum feed, allowing the visiting scrum half to dislodge the ball and centre Magnus to follow up and touch down for a try which, converted by Dewing, left Bedford Athletic with nothing and a 27-13 defeat.
With eight games left in the season Bedford Athletic are now eleven points from safety and have picked up just one point in the last five games. To add to the challenge they are away to unbeaten league leaders Oundle on Saturday.
Words by Jeremy Tyrrell
