Bedford: Marco Cecere (Matt Volland 68), Dan Richmond (Greg Sammons
64), Dan Cole, Mouritz Botha, Arthur Brenton (Jon Phillips 66), Nic Strauss,
Sacha Harding (Ben Pienaar 68), Rory McKay, Karl Dickson (Matt Allen 74),
Ben Patston, Alex Page, Tom Youngs (John Elrick 75), Liam Roberts, Craig
Moir (Brendan Burke 68), James Pritchard.
Tries: Dickson (3), Roberts (2), Richmond, Strauss, Youngs, Page and Elrick
Con: Pritchard (5), Patston.
Moseley: Terry Sigley (Nathan Williams 62), Ross McMillan (Craig Lea
72), Jack Forster, Oliver Atkinson, Richard Stott (Paul Arnold 63), Neil
Mason, Richard Bignell (Adrian Lightowler 47), Mark Evans, James Ireland,
Greg MacDonald (Matt Jones 41), Dan Norton, Paul Cox (Nathan Bressington
63), Jack Adams, Charles Sharples, Oliver Winter.
Tries: Norton, Ireland
Cons: MacDonald (2)
Pens: MacDonald
Attendance: 2,217
Referee: Greg Garner
Touch Judges: Darren Gamage and Rob Sawyer
Moseley suffer a ten-try mauling - Sunday Mercury
Head coach Ian Smith faces a tough week lifting his troops after Moseley
suffered a ten-try mauling at Goldington Road.
While the visitors matched their hosts for much of the opening half, the
second period was one-way traffic with the home side cruising home at a
canter.
It was Moseley who notched the first points of the game when Greg MacDonald
slotted over a fifth-minute penalty.
Bedford nosed ahead for the first time on ten minutes, scrum-half Karl
Dickson diving over, but just moments after James Pritchard had slotted over
the conversion Moseley winger Dan Norton scored for the visitors, MacDonald
kicking the extras.
Dickson bagged his second try on 15 minutes, scything through the Moseley
defence from a ten-metre line-out, but Pritchard's conversion came moments
before the Canadian World Cup full-back was sin-binned for dishing out a
torrent of blows to visiting prop Terry Sigley.
But, even down to 14 men, the home side looked the sharper and another
scampering run from Dickson let in centre Liam Roberts for Bedford's third
try on 28 minutes, Ben Patston's conversion handing his team a healthy 21-10
advantage.
Pressure Charlie Sharples failed to ground the ball for Moseley a minute
later but further pressure was rewarded when Jimmy Ireland was fed from the
back of a scrum to dart in.
MacDonald's extras closed the gap to four points but two injury-time scores
took the home side clear.
Dan Richmond was first to pounce, following a catch-and-drive move, with Nic
Strauss then claiming his side's fifth try to open up a 31-17 interval lead.
To add to Moseley's worries, lock Richard Stott was sin-binned at the end of
the half and the second period was one to forget for the visitors.
Alex Page ran in his side's sixth try only three minutes after the restart
before centres Tom Youngs and Roberts got in on the act as they ran through
a threadbare defence.
Youngs had been at the centre of many of Bedford's moves, his power and
tenacity ripping holes in the Moseley cover.
But his try was a much simpler affair, diving over from close range after
Page had been halted short of the line by Norton's timely tackle.
Roberts showed his pace when scooting around on the overlap while Moseley's
only chance to post a second-half score came to nothing when Norton failed
to touch down his kick ahead, finding it difficult to get around the
obstruction that was opposite number Craig Moir.
Man-of-the-match Dickson completed his hat-trick with seven minutes to go,
rounding things off with a spectacular dive over the line, and Bedford
chalked up their tenth try in the final seconds, replacement Jon Elrick
diving in after a storming run by back-row Rory McKay.
Meanwhile, Moseley will be back on the training ground this week when Smith
will be looking for answers. |