Bedford Athletic are looking ahead to a play-off campaign in Regional Two East Midlands despite a final day 29-24 loss at sixth placed, Stamford.
In what was an even contest throughout, the visitors lacked the discipline and composure at key times to prevail in a match where eight tries were shared.
Playing against a very strong wind in the first half, Bedford Athletic had no kicking option and so had to run the ball.
This paid dividends inside the first four minutes as they carried the ball through several phases up the middle of the park, before captain Steve Smith broke through the last line of the defence to score his side’s first try, with Leo Mortimer converting.
With the wind, Stamford were always going to prosper from a decent amount of territory and possession, and they turned this pressure into points.
Although the visitors defended well for periods, they were undone on ten minutes when a missed tackle in midfield allowed Stamford flanker, Ed Cox to break through to the line for his side’s first try.
On 18 minutes, scrum half Fraser Hutton spotted an undefended ruck and broke through for his side’s second try, both of which he converted for a 14-7 lead.
As the game ticked into its second quarter, Bedford Athletic started to gain more possession but failed to translate this into convertible chances despite early scrum dominance, and when they did concede possession, Stamford made good use of the wind to push them back into their own half.
This inevitably led to the third try when, from a midfield scrum, Stamford once again broke through the defensive line a little too easily with full back Iain Downer profiting in a race to the posts to dot down his side’s third try.
Hutton made it 21-7 on the half hour mark with the conversion.
Bedford Athletic stormed back into the match in the final ten minutes of the half with two very similar tries, both finished off by winger, Josh Cassell.
Neither were converted by Mortimer, with the Ath trailing 21-17 at half time.
Hutton converted a Stamford penalty for a 24-17 lead early in the second half, but Bedford Athletic started to get back into the match with some better kicking getting them into the Stamford half.
Good territory led to Lucas Nisbett-Hadaway’s bonus point try, with Mortimer’s conversion, tying the scores at 24-24.
Just as Bedford Athletic looked like they might seize the initiative with a series of attacks, a yellow card on 67 minutes for full back Louis Haley stopped them in their tracks.
Instead, the visitors had to play out most of the remainder of the game with 14 men and eventually the Stamford pressure told.
When they hooked what should have been a Bedford Athletic defensive scrum, the turnover ball allowed Stamford to spread the ball wide to the left wing where Freddie Chapman crossed in the corner for the winning try. There was no time for a response from the visiting side.
Bedford Athletic finish the regular season in fourth place, thereby qualifying for the promotion play-offs, but outside of the top three therefore failing to gain home advantage.
Their first play-off match is away to third placed, Broadstreet on Saturday (18 April) for the right to meet the winners of the match between Market Harborough and Peterborough to determine which team advances to the play-off final.
Northampton Old Scouts having been promoted as champions.
Words by Jeremy Tyrrell
