Their fly-half Jon Elrick launched a kick over the top 15 metres from the home posts and Tigers’ fullback Chris Hall looked to have it covered.

Unfortunately the ball cannoned off the left-hand post and straight into Elrick’s arms as Hall was left snatching for fresh air while the Blues’ number 10 gratefully gathered the ball before touching down between the posts, thus making his conversion one of the straight forward variety for a 0-7 lead inside three minutes.

Throughout the first half the Blues looked determined and focused, continually driving the ball into the Tigers’ half, with inside centre Tom Youngs doing the bulk of the initial carrying.

For their part Sedgley struggled to get their attacking games going, such was Bedford’s early dominance.

On eight minutes a powerful driving maul from a five-metre lineout ended with lock Jon Phillips grounding the ball over the Tigers’ line for try number two, as the Blues extended their lead to 12 points.

On the odd occasion the Tigers got into the Blues’ 22 they wasted their chances by being unable to win lineout ball on their own throw in.

However, a series of penalties and, ironically, lineout wins took the home side to within 10 metres of the Bedford line, where Luther Burrell, Glen Townson and Jon Skurr drove repeatedly into contact and were rewarded with a five–metre scrum.

Possession won, Phil Jones drove for the posts but was stopped a foot short where the Blues infringed right under referee Chris Sharp’s nose, illegally stopping the Tigers from playing the ball and scoring an almost certain try and thus awarded them one of the penalty variety, which Jones converted to close the gap to just five points.

Poor lineout throws and fumbled passes plagued both sides and the score stayed at 7-12 as the half-time whistle sounded, if anything the Tigers fortunate to be going in just a try behind.

However, they began the second half strongly only for unforced errors to deprive them of early try-scoring opportunities.

Smart passing from Bedford then forced them onto the back foot once more and the Tigers began to let their discipline slip, with a penalty just five metres from their posts easily stroked over by Pritchard to extend the Blues’ lead to 7-15 on 52 minutes.

Things got worse five minutes later when Townson was yellow-carded, handing the Blues the man advantage, although it was the Tigers who were given the next opportunity to score, but Jones’ 40-metre penalty kick attempt went well wide.

As the strong swirling wind continued to blow Bedford wasted further scoring opportunities, particularly from lineouts and it was not until Townson re-entered the fray that they tied the game up.

The ball was spun out from a scrum to Youngs, and his determined canter to the Tigers’ line, during which he brushed off three ineffective Sedgley tackles, was rewarded with a try on 72 minutes. Pritchard added the extras and the Blues’ lead moved onto 7-22.

The Tigers huffed and puffed to get within bonus point range but were unable to overcome a strong Bedford defence and the Blues claimed their third win over the Tigers this season.

SEDGLEY: Hall, Van DeVenter, Craig, Burrell, Briers, Jones, Leck (Albinson.J 62), Livesey. A (Gazzola 59), Roddam, Halsall (Du Plessis 49), Fourie (Norris 69), Townson (Livesey.D 77), Crous, Newton, Skurr.
Replacements not used: Keys and Payne.
Try: Penalty.
Conversion: Jones (1).
Yellow card: Townson.

BEDFORD: Pritchard, Moir, Roberts, Youngs, Hinkins (Allen 64), Elrick, Dickson (Chudley 78), Hawksworth (Cecere 49), Richmond (Sammons 53), Lyon (Graham 79), Phillips (Comb 78), Brenton, Botha, Harding, Lumby.
Replacements not used: Patston.
Tries: Elrick, Phillips and Young (3).
Conversions: Pritchard (2).
Penalty: Pritchard.