Bedford Athletic were beaten at home by league leaders Market Harborough 28-14 on Saturday (17 January). The visitors were the better side on the day and never lost control of a game in which they outscored their hosts by four tries to two.
Market Harborough won the first penalty of the day for a careless offside and never looked back.
The penalty was drilled into the home 22 and from the lineout, visiting outside centre Harry Durham scythed through the defence for the opening try converted by Monty Maule.
The visitors continued to dominate proceedings in the first half hour, exerting greater physicality, and when the home side did get an opportunity to kick clear it was too often to a well positioned Market Harborough back line player who returned the ball with interest.
This period of pressure saw Market Harborough held up over the line, and miss a kickable penalty as Bedford Athletic remained slower to react in all facets of play.
The pressure did lead to a second try on 26 minutes, as prolonged phases within the home 22 eventually saw fly half Tom Claffey breach the line for a try and a 12-0 lead.
It was half an hour before Bedford Athletic ventured into the visiting 22 in an attacking sense, and when they did they were quickly repelled as their lineout was stolen, a feature of the match and one that frustrated any momentum in the home side’s game.
When they did eventually win clean possession, a quickly executed backs move with full back Louis Haley coming into the line to create the extra man, saw space for Archie Duncan down the left wing and he crossed for his side’s opening try which was converted off the post by Leo Mortimer in the 36th minute.
Market Harborough led 12-7 at half time.
The game was settled in the opening minutes of the second half as Bedford Athletic continued to make errors and allow the visitors to dominate the game.
Conceding possession in their own 22 from kick off, Bedford Athletic allowed Market Harborough an attacking scrum and again could not hold out from a series of phases close to their own line, with scrum half Josh Purnell darted over for the try.
Then Market Harborough showed they could attack from deep although they were assisted by a propensity for the home side to miss numerous tackles.
Ath fail to capitalise on tiring Harborough
Once again camped in the home 22, Market Harborough found their way to the try line on this occasion it was prop forward Olly Spokes who was the man to benefit.
Market Harborough concluded a dominant opening quarter of an hour of the half with a penalty from Maule, and a 25-7 deficit was always going to be too much for the Ath to overcome.
They did respond with a try as they won a series of penalties, which were kicked into the corner, and from a driving lineout second row Lewis Sharp emerged with the ball for a try converted by Mortimer on 56 minutes.
Thereafter, Market Harborough began to tire and the home side grew into the contest, but still lacked the accuracy or composure to create the necessary scoring chances.
Attacking lines got muddled as players overran the ball, and a chance to exploit an overlap on the left wing was frustrated by an interception.
Instead, this period of dominance from the home side ended with a breakaway by Market Harborough and when they earned themselves a penalty, Maule was on hand to slot the three points in the 75th minute and stretch the score to an unassailable 28-14 lead.
The character and determination of the visitors to retain their grip on pole position in the league was typified in the final minute, as Bedford Athletic finally worked the pacy Duncan into space down the left wing, but his try was denied by a last ditch tap tackle from visiting full back, Joe Lafferty preventing the home side earning a bonus point.
The defeat sees Bedford Athletic drop one place to third, but still very much in contention for a play-off place with a visit to the side just now one point ahead of them, Broadstreet, in two weeks time.
First they travel to another play off contender in Kettering for a rearranged fixture on Saturday (24 January) with a 2.15pm kick off.
Words by Jeremy Tyrrell
