London Welsh 24 Bedford 26
London Welsh will be bitterly disappointed with their defeat against Bedford who were stern in defence and clinical when given the few opportunities they were presented with.
It was Bedford who put the first points on the board with a penalty kick.
Welsh hit back with some more furious attacks and in the 13th minute Andy Lee charged down a Bedford clearance kick, to allow flanker Paul Mansfield to pick up and score. Lee's conversion gave Welsh a 7-3 lead.
Welsh stretched their lead when Chris Ritchie dived over from a driving maul.
Bedford notched up another penalty before a superbly struck cross-kick from Ed Barnes, was gathered in by ex-England wing Spencer Brown for a try.
Welsh continued to attack and were rewarded when Matt Fitzgerald powered over from a scrum. Wave after wave of Welsh attacks came to nothing until scrum half Alex Birkby darted over from a tapped penalty to extend the lead to 24-13 and with their forwards in total control the victory appeared certain.
Bedford continued to plug away and kicked two penalties to bring them to within five points - while holding firm on their own line.
Welsh conceded a penalty in the fourth minute of injury time which Bedford decided to run and they quickly oved the ball out wide to the right to the predatory Spencer Brown, who worked the space, to touch down for the try. Trailing by one point Bedford sank the conversion to pick up a surprise win.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article