Goldington Road and Bedford Athletic Rugby Club played host to a special double header as the England Deaf Rugby squads came to town for two games in preparation for a Southern Hemisphere tour on Sunday afternoon.
England Men defeated their Welsh counterparts 50-17 at Goldington Road while the English Women were also in action against a Bedford Blues invitational team at the Ath and romped home with a similar scoreline in 55-17.
England Women score nine tries in win
Bedford Blues had stepped in at late notice to give the international side a helping hand late in the week after the withdrawal of Wales and gave the England Women’s side a test in the first game at Bedford Ath.
Natalie Randall was on the scoresheet for the Blues in response to the first English try after twenty minutes but three further tries for the internationals gave England a healthy 24-7 lead at the interval.
From the restart, they had scored their fifth followed by two further scores before the hour mark opened up a 38-point lead although Randall was on hand again to reduce that with her second try of the afternoon for Bedford.
Two more tries for England wrapped up a convincing 55-17 victory in the afternoon’s curtain raiser.
England retain the Broadstreet Cup
The main event saw England and Wales meet at Goldington Road for the Broadstreet Cup, which Wales held after a tight 21-15 victory in Cardiff last June.
The game was not as close an affair this time round as a spate of second half tries saw England romp home to a 50-17 victory.
A pair of Welsh penalties from Celyn Ashton bookended the game’s first try as Max Thorne escaped down the right wing to dive over in front of the CMC Marquee at Goldington Road.
Those three entries on to the scoreboard capped most of the attacking the first period as both sides tackled it out in midfield before an England debutant put his side into the lead just before the half time whistle.
Number eight, Marcus Seaton bundled over with 39 minutes on the clock to give England the lead before another Ashton penalty with the last play of the game reduced the Red Roses’ lead to 10-9.
The second half though, was all about England.
Almost from the kick off, one of England’s replacements in Connor Oughton kicked off his international debut in style with a try after forty seconds, before a penalty try opened the English lead still further with 50 minutes on the clock.
Oughton scored his second of the game moments after Sam Brabazon had got on the scoreboard alongside Jack Slark and Henry Bennett who also dotted down as England ran riot in the final quarter.
Ryan Challis had the last laugh for Wales, but it was merely a consolation score as England regained the Broadstreet Cup with an entertaining 50-17 win.
An English representative side has never lost at Goldington Road, with teams from Under 17’s to Under 20’s plus this impressive English Deaf side and others coming to Bedford and going home the victors.
Perhaps with a slight doff of the cap to the RFU to note that the home of the Blues is a lucky hunting ground for the stars of the future, who tend to deal with the famous slope pretty well.
It capped a marvellous Sunday afternoon of rugby, showing that the game is open for all who wish to play it, with English thoughts now turning to their Southern Hemisphere trip to South Africa in August.
