Championship Cup defeats for Blues and Ampthill

Dean Adamson scored for Bedford Blues but they fell to defeat on Saturday.

Blues’ hopes are all but over after they fell 29-20 against Doncaster Knights, while Ampthill were beaten 27-18 at Cornish Pirates.

The Mob went ahead through Conor Rankin’s early penalty, only for Shae Tucker to go over for the hosts with Harry Bazalgette converting.

A second penalty from Rankin would bring the visitors to within one point of the home side, before just on half-time the Pirates extended their lead when Max Norey’s converted try made it 14-6.

Pirates scored their third try eight minutes into the second half – Will Trewin chipping the defence and chasing down his own kick to score.

The game was still tight and Ampthill got within a score on 58 minutes – wing Alex Harmes chased his own kick close to the Pirates line, replacement scrum half Pete White recycled and Caleb Montgomery was in hand to drive over under the posts. A third successful kick for Rankin made it 19-13.

A Pirates penalty on 72 minutes extended their lead to more than one score, 22-13, and then as Ampthill threw everything at Pirates they grabbed the bonus point through an intercept try from halfway.

The Mob gave themselves a chance of a bonus point on 79 minutes – Rankin finding an overlap wide right to score, however the conversion attempt was pulled wide.

Following the game, Mob head coach Paul Turner said “I can’t fault our effort but we need to get more consistency into most of our game.

"There wasn’t a lot between both sides other than Pirates made fewer errors than us. Both our error count and ball control was not good enough to trouble them.”

Bedford Blues led 10-0 after ten minutes, a Will Maisey penalty added to by a Dean Adamson try.

Knights battled back to lead 12-10 before Pat Tapley’s try and Maisey’s conversion put Blues 17-12 up, only for another Knights try to level things up at the break.

Knights then took the lead with a third try from George Roberts, Sean French’s three-pointer reducing the arrears to 22-20.

But Doncaster scored again late on and despite numerous efforts to get a bonus point, including French hitting a post, Blues were unable to secure it.