Blues see off Hartpury while Ampthill edge to victory

The win puts a ten-point gap between Bedford in fourth and the team they beat who are fifth, with Doncaster four points further back but having a game in hand on those above them.

Joey Conway, James Fish, Sean French, George Hendy and Joel Matavesi got the tries that secured Bedford the victory.

Blues forwards coach, Sean McCarthy said after the win: “It was really good to get a complete performance. Our defence at times was fantastic and it needed to be against a Hartpury side who are a really good outfit this year.

“We want to keep on rolling, keep this momentum going again next week. There are things to work on and we’ll be going back to drawing board for some aspects of our game. We’re targeting a big finish this season.”

Man of the Match, Will Maisey added: “For the first 40 minutes, we weren’t really on the money. The coaches gave us a talking to and some direction and it came together for us and paid off. We’re really happy to get the result we probably deserved across the full 80.”

Blues host second-from-bottom Richmond on Friday night.

*Ampthill edged to a single point victory as they travelled to the Wirral and took on Caldy, running out 16-17 winners.

Heavy winds hampered both sides and it was Caldy who let 7-0 at the break.

However, Ampthill battled back in the second-half and led 7-14 after tries from Harry Wilson and Ollie Dawkins, both converted by Tom Hardwick who then added a late penalty to secure the win after three penalties from the hosts had put them in front.

Head coach Paul Turner said following the game: “Caldy gave us another tough game as expected. The conditions weren’t easy for either side, but we showed a lot of character in that second half after going in 7-0 down. Our forwards were superb and put us in a position for Tom to win it for us.”

Ampthill lie third from bottom but with a game in hand on most sides above them, and return home for a fixture with Doncaster Knights on Saturday.