Biggleswade RUFC

Biggleswade 34-27 Deepings

The Biggleswade 1st XV ran out in front of a packed crowd on Saturday to play Deepings in the Midlands 4 East (South) league.  

The boisterous support was bolstered by the VIP guests invited as part of the 70th Anniversary Reunion of the club.

Biggleswade kicked off wanting to start strong but Deepings ran the ball straight back, breaking the Biggy defence before knocking on in a tackle made by Luke Gadsby. A solid first scrum from the Biggleswade pack allowed Gavin Taylor to kick for touch and clear the Biggleswade line. When Deepings’ throw into the lineout was judged not straight, the Biggy scrum set the foundation for the back line to run a strong attacking line, with some precise passing putting Tom Anderson into space on the wing. He was pulled down just five metres short of the line but got in the offload to the supporting Elliot Tunstall, who scored under the posts for the first try of the game (which he converted).

The visitors put the Biggleswade defence under pressure straight from the restart, driving the forwards off the ball for the turnover.  Strong running lines saw Deepings 10 metres out from the Biggleswade line. Wave after wave of attack eventually proved too much and the Deepings forwards crashed over the line to make it 7-5.

The visitors’ second try came after they elected to have a scrum 15 metres out.  A simple but effective backs’ switch move saw the Biggy defence wrong- footed and Deepings scored under the posts to take the lead.

A strong run from Tom Seabrook and an offload to the supporting Kyle Loan gained Biggy some momentum.  Strong kicking from Gavin Taylor and Gadsby saw the Deepings defence on the back foot for the first time in the game. A big tackle by Ollie Vagg allowed the Biggy pack to win the ball, and some great handling skills from the team ended with Jack Diemer striding towards the Deepings 22 to score Biggleswade’s second try (converted by Tunstall) and help his team retake the lead.

Deepings responded in attack and Biggleswade had to work hard to keep the visitors at bay. The Deepings scrum half drifted offside during a scrum, allowing Tunstall to clear the ball into touch just outside the half way line. Deimer won the lineout at the front and drove over the gain line only for the ball to be knocked on after the break down. Deepings’ scrum half saw a opening and sprinted towards Biggy’s try line, breaking through three tackles to score and convert.

Andy Burke came onto the field for the injured captain Jimmy Caulfield.

A long kick from Ollie Vagg over the Deepings defence was chased by Jakub Grabowski, forcing the knock on. The half finished with scrum deep in the visitors’ half, but a huge push saw Deepings win against the head and clear to touch. Half time score 14-17.

A couple of changes made by Biggleswade at half time saw Tom Torne and Graham Williams come on to give the Biggy forwards some fresh legs.

Some strong tackles on the far side of the field saw tempers overspill and Biggy go down to 14 men for a 10-minute spell. The Biggy boys pulled together and used some great support running lines with a determined Ross Taylor stretching his legs to score and claim back the lead.

Taylor and debut player Will Burman put the Deepings back line under pressure, causing yet another knock-on, picked up and presented well by Diemer. The cross field kick allowed Burman to run onto the ball and give the perfectly timed offload for Anderson to score for Biggy (converted).

An excellent clearance from Seabrook was kept in play and Deepings ran the ball back hard, breaking through to score under the posts for the easy conversion, closing the scores at  26-24 with ten minutes to play.

A missed penalty attempt from Biggleswade saw Deepings kick out from their 22 metre line, only for the ball to be collected by Tom Torne and - after several phases - Anderson got the ball in his hands and ran in a well-deserved try for Biggy.

The dying minutes off the game saw a number of penalties given away by the home team as they tried shut out Deepings’ attack. The last play of the game was a successful penalty for the visitors, which gave them a losing bonus point.

Final score Biggleswade 34-27 Deepings.

PHOTOS: DAVID KAY