A gritty performance from Bedford Athletic earned them a 30-20 win at Daventry on Saturday (13 December) to continue their fine form in RFU Regional Two Midlands East with the Christmas break on the horizon.
In a game where the Ath were the better side throughout, they contrived at times to put themselves under pressure with the result closer than it should have been.
The early momentum came from the visiting side as they dominated possession and territory without converting any pressure into points.
This changed when fly half Louis Haley kicked a 50:22 to give Bedford Athletic a lineout in the Daventry 22.
From this, the maul rumbled forward and although it was stopped just short of the line when the backs were brought into play, it was outside centre Luke Denham who crashed over by the posts for the first try, converted by Haley.
There followed a long period of Daventry possession when they seemed to occupy the visitor’s half but fashioned very few chances.
This was mainly the result of good defence, but Bedford Athletic could have conceded a score, missing chance after chance to clear their lines whether by unforced errors or kicks straight to touch.
Eventually, the side ran the ball clear and it was Josh Cassell who made progress up the left wing, before Daventry conceded a penalty in the middle of the park. Haley slotted the kick.
The Bedford Athletic pack were then again stopped just short of the home side’s line, and from the clearance kick, Daventry fashioned an unlikely score.
The visiting backs contrived to drop the ball in their own half, Daventry hacked the ball on and winger Martel Wolfenden picked up to race away and score a try, converted by fly half Ben James.
Bedford Athletics’ half time lead of 10-7 was narrower than it should have been.
Ath hold on despite Father and Son combo
They extended it early in the second half through a penalty from Haley, but were soon pegged back by a similar kick from James.
The visitors then seized the initiative with half an hour to play.
Having won a penalty for holding on, the ball was kicked to touch for a lineout on the home 22. From this the ball was won off the top and spread to the back line.
Inside centre, Dylan Edgington broke the defence and fed centre partner, Luke Denham who had just enough strength and pace to get to the line carrying a defender with him.
Haley made it 20-10 and then kicked a third penalty in off the post to make the score 23-10 on the hour mark.
James narrowed things again for the hosts with a penalty a minute later, before Bedford Athletic once again took play deep into the Daventry half.
This time, Daventry were penalised for pulling a man down at the lineout losing the offender to the sin bin, and from the next catch and drive the visiting forwards were threatening the posts when replacement scrum half Tom Orton spotted the gap to snipe over for the third try, Haley converting.
The game would have been put to rest, and the try bonus point secured, if the next rolling maul from the visitors had not been penalised and from there the momentum shifted.
Daventry won a series of penalties taking them deep into the visitor’s half and from a lineout drive, replacement prop Martin Wolfenden crashed over for a try making himself and his son Martel probably the only father-son combination to score against Bedford Ath in the same match.
A ten point lead should still have been comfortable, but now the Ath invited pressure.
Dropping the ball in their own half gave Daventry the initiative, and the next drive for the line was just held up over it by Lucas Nisbett-Hadaway.
From the goal line drop out, Daventry attacked again at pace and were eventually halted illegally, with back row Harrison Riley sent to the sin bin.
From the next scrum, and down to a seven man pack, the visitors miraculously survived when Daventry were penalised for a knock on. From then on it was continuous defence for the visitors but they held out for a 30-20 victory.
The win solidifies their second place position in the league, three points behind leaders Market Harborough before the visit of fifth-placed Peterborough on Saturday in the final game of 2025 at Putnoe Woods, with a 3pm kick off.
Words by Jeremy Tyrrell
