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BEDFORD RUGBY MEN SCOOP CONFERENCE CUP...AGAIN The
Bedford Campus Rugby Men’s 1st XV sealed their second consecutive Midlands Conference Cup in April with a win over Oxford Brookes 3rd XV. In a very tight affair, Bedford ran out 13-8 winners thanks to a last gasp try from full-back Alex Sutherland. The game took place at the fantastic Bedford Blues RFC stadium with a strong home crowd in support. Pre-match entertainment included firebreathers, supplied by one of the Students’ Union’s commercial partners and rugby team sponsor, Elements Nightclub. Proceedings started well for the Bedford team, with fly-half Lawrence Rayner scoring a penalty inside 15 minutes to make the score 3-0. Brookes
then scored the first try of the game but failed to convert leaving the score at 3-5. There was enough time before the interval for Rayner to register another penalty meaning the hosts went in 6-5 up at half time. Team Captain Chris Depper was happy at half time: “I thought we were quite comfortable at the break. We had some good chances and looking good for our lead.” Spectators were provided with a spectacular display from the University’s Cheerleaders, with lots of acrobatics and stunts at half time. The second half started slowly although Bedford retained lots of possession, without making any addition to the score. Oxford Brookes regained the lead again halfway through the second period, scoring a penalty, making the score 6-8. The score remained at that until the thrilling final moments. With 3 minutes left on the clock Tom Albone attempted a drop goal which sailed wide of the posts. A minute later Lawrence Rayner attempted the same feat with the same result.
With approximately 1 minute of play remaining the ball found its way to Sutherland, who duly pierced the Brookes back line to spark scenes of jubilation both on the pitch and off it. Rayner converted the resulting kick, making the final score 13-8. Club Captain and team manager Sam Figg said: “It was like a Hollywood film at the end! I didn’t think we were going to pull it off but credit to the lads, they stuck at it and got the result in the end.” Bedford were presented with the trophy and medals after the game, with Oxford Brookes being the first to congratulate them. The win caps a remarkable season for the team, having lost just two league games all year and narrowly missing out on promotion to BUCS Tier 1. Figg added: “It has been a great year for us. This should put us in a good position to win one of the categories at the AU Awards” * *The Athletic Union Awards took place in the beginning of May in Bedford and Luton. To find out who won what awards please visit www.ubsu.co.uk.