The rugby club’s latest block fixture against Oakham School proved to be perfectly balanced with plenty of tight games.
The 1st XV drew their game which left our boys scratching their heads, while the opposition might feel like they had played their ‘get out of jail free’ card. Bedford were 21 points to the good after a fast, flowing and flawless first 15 minutes and, although they leaked 10 points during a period of poor concentration, clearly had the upper hand at the end of the 1st half. The Oakham XV came out hard in the 2nd half and reduced their error and penalty count while Bedford increased theirs. The 1st XV defended heroically but conceded a try with the last play of the game, which brought the hosts level. It certainly was a game that had everything, apart from a winner!
The 2nd XV fought a hard battle and thoroughly deserved their victory. Having gone 10-0 down early on, the boys regrouped and rallied to apply pressure on the opposition. The continued pressure and attacking ambition paid off and the team sealed a satisfying victory.
The U16 teams continue to show their development, with the A team demonstrating composure and good game management to close their game. The B team followed suit and the C team had a superb triangular contest with Oakham and Oundle, taking home the spoils in both of their games.
The U15C team marches on and now has a positive points difference of over 200 points, an incredible achievement which clearly demonstrates the strength in depth of this year group. In search of a more even contest, the U15D team played the Oundle U15Cs. It was a great contest and a fantastic learning experience for the boys. They certainly rose to the challenge and did themselves and the rugby club proud.
The U14A team, although losing out to a very physical opposition, should be pleased with the progress they made in their game play. The U14C team will probably be the most disappointed with their two-point loss as they have been putting in scintillating performances of late. However, greater lessons can be learnt in these situations and we are sure they will reflect in a positive way to make them stronger. A special thank you must go to the Bedford boys in the U14D team who played for the opposition to make it a competitive fixture. A noteworthy mention must go to John ‘try-scoring machine’ Ogunyiluka who scored all of the tries against Oakham!