Look: Bedworth tame Old Wheatleyans to wrap up three-figure

... seasonal double.

Bedworth piled up nine tries – seven of them in a barnstorming first-half performance – to tame Old Wheatleyans 57-22 and wrap up a three-figure seasonal double.

Adi Iliff set the ball rolling when he sliced his way through the posts to make the first of his six conversions a formality and the bonus point was banked inside 25 minutes as Craig Malcolm, Adam Jardine and Lee Bennett followed suit.

Wheats showed a flash of resistance with a splendidly-constructed try for Richard Drury, but Bedworth stormed back with further touchdowns from Danny Coleman, Steve Harwood and Jardine – the latter the pick of the bunch – to make it 43-5 at half-time.

Wheats, to their credit, fought back in the second period to earn their own four-try bonus via Neil Saunders, Leo Craddock and Guy Stanley but Malcolm and Coleman doubled up to ensure that the visitors’ control was never threatened.

Bedworth remain a point behind Dunlop who cleared a key hurdle on their route to the title when they claimed a converted try from the final move of the match to edge home 27-26 at Ledbury.

They broke through with a driving maul rounded off by Keith Fletcher and doubled their lead courtesy of Rich Craner but had to settle for a 10-5 interval lead which didn’t look sufficient in view of their wind and slope advantages.

Those fears seemed fully justified as the Herefordshire men reeled off three tries – and although Dunlop responded with a penalty from Dave Weston and a Matthew Carrier try, they were 26-20 down entering the last ten minutes and the referee had indicated that time was almost up when Jack Badham pounced for the decider.

Having given a good account of themselves in the Warwickshire Shield final against Rugby Lions, Southam slipped to a frustrating 15-14 derby defeat at Shipston on Stour.

They started well enough, Pete Burnell and Harry Hewson doing the groundwork for a Ryan Stephens try in the corner expertly converted by wing forward Will Grindal.

Shipston levelled before half-time, however – Rob James adding the extras to Tom Corby’s barnstorming try and – with Southam struggling to make headway up the slope and into the wind – a James penalty and a splendid solo effort by Charlie Speechley earned the home side a 15-7 advantage.

Southam found fresh impetus in the final ten minutes but although another raking Hewson pass gave Sam Bench to sweep through for his 24th try of the season, Grindal’s conversion left them a point shy.

Click here for more on this article.