BLUES: Bedford 33 Rotherham 26
The Blues reached the business end of the season in shipshape fashion with an exciting win over Rotherham.
Seventeen points in three minutes at the start of the second half turned the match on its head after the visitors went for bust in a brave bid to escape the relegation play offs.
Now it's all systems go for the promotion battles to come against the big guns of the west country – starting at Plymouth on Saturday. And if the form works out against Bristol and the Cornish Pirates as well as Plymouth, the reward could be a semi final at Exeter. And then who knows what.
Of course promotion for the Blues is unlikely to happen because the facilities at Goldington Road just aren't up to it. Grounds have got to pass muster by March 31. And there's no question of that.
However, there's still plenty to play for – even more so now that administrators have ruled that the semi final losers will get 70 per cent - rather than 50 –of the gate. Also the final is a two-legged affair and club accountants will be rubbing their hands and hoping for a windfall which could well wipe out the annual deficit.
Punters have sucked and seen this Championship format for what it's worth.
And certain aspects of it need sorting out - as the Blues chairman Geoff Irvine warned before it had even started.
Just 1885 people watched the match and, though it was a big Six Nations weekend, organisers will be keen to see how big the rush will be to come back when something is at stake and the season extends well into May.
There was plenty at stake for Rotherham – though nothing like as much in those premiership play off classics of 1999 and 2000. This time they wanted to avoid the possibility that that may have to play Coventry or Birmingham for the right to stay in the division. And that in itself is seriously wrong.
They were shot bolt upright when full back James Pritchard scythed through them inside 30 seconds of the start to put winger Luke Fielden over in the corner before converting.
But they hit back with such power and drive with three tries from back five forwards that they built up a 19-7 lead before Pritchard reduced the arrears with a penalty when the visiting captain was shown the yellow card for a technical offence.
That sin binning, the psychological effect of having to play up the hill in the second half and the regular news of the unexpected scorelines from Doncaster and, especially, Moseley all but did for Rotherham.
The Blues clearly came out fired up and a Pritchard penalty in the 44th minute and tries in the 45th and 47th saw them burst ahead with a 27-19 lead.
The first came after a move in which the Blues forwards seemed to be getting in the way when lock Alex Rae raced clear and put out a pass worthy of his fly half to centre Liam Roberts; and the second when Pritchard, Roberts and Sacha Harding combined to put number eight Ben Lewitt over. Pritchard converted both.
Rotherham still hadn't shot their lot and they got back to within a point with a converted penalty try on 55 minutes after the Bedford lock Mike Howard was sin binned. That earned them a bonus point for four tries but they needed a win as well and the Blues were in no mood to concede any more before Howard's return when Pritchard wrapped it up with two more penalties.
Blues: Cecere, Richmond, Boulton (Seal), Harlock (Howard), Rae, Gillanders, Harding (Goodman), Lewitt, Chudley (Walshe), Dorrian (Davies), Dodge (Roberts), Vass, Burke, Fielden, Pritchard.
Attendance: 1885
Star Blue: James Pritchard
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Bedford
Tuesday 14 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 4 C to 8 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: North west
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 10 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: North west
