There is always excitement and anticipation in the air prior to the Dulwich College fixture. A fixture steeped with history and tradition, of which the boys were privileged to be a part of.  The sense of occasion was epitomised by Will Barns who, leading up to the fixture, circulated statistics and reports from past Bedford v Dulwich fixtures amongst his peers at all ages and levels.

Prior to kick off, the 1st XV were inspired by an informal chat with OB Budge Rogers, the England International and British Lions legend. They certainly took that inspiration into the first half as they played with focus and without fear. The ball was moved with fluency and control as Bedford provided attacking threats both sides of the break down. Continued pressure was rewarded with tries, and heroic defending at the end of the first half gave Bedford a comfortable lead at half time. Bedford scored quickly in the second half from more pressure and a clever kick and chase by captain Alfie Orchard, then fatigue and indiscipline started to creep into the Bedford side giving Dulwich much needed possession. Dulwich scored a well-deserved and well taken try in the closing stages of the game but it was the Bedford XV who finished the game reflecting on a much improved performance.

The remaining senior sides battled hard against a school who could boast strength in depth but were beaten by physical opposition. The 2nd XV had a much improved performance and played with good shape and patience to score a few tries of their own.

The U16 teams had to play smart to counter the physicality of the Dulwich teams. It took the U16A much of the match to work out how to combat the physicality of the opposition. But work it out they did and a couple of clever kicks through by Mike Catt helped bring the score line close. The U16Cs produced a gutsy performance to edge out their opposition in an exciting and tense game.

The U15 fixtures were competitive across the board with Bedford enjoying most of the spoils. Even though the U15Ds lost out in a close encounter, they once again impressed with their positive attitude and application and pushed the opposition hard until the final whistle.

The U14 teams continued their impressive start to the season with only the U14B team being out-muscled in the second half. Regardless of this result, their strength in depth is quite something, a very high standard of rugby played across all five teams.  They have a prodigiously positive attitude and have a thirst for collective development. They will face tough challenges in some remaining fixtures, but judging by what has been displayed thus far, tough challenges are what’s needed.

Results Summary