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Bedford 35-18 Bees
By Elliott Josypenko
October 31 2005
For the second consecutive week Pertemps Bees came agonisingly close to snatching victory, only to concede points in injury-time that left them without the consolation of bonus point.

A courageous display from a squad that was so depleted by injuries that they were able to name only one back on the replacements' bench, rattled the National One title-chasers to such an extent that the Bees were down only 18-21 with just a minute of proper time remaining.
But the sin-binning of skipper Ed Orgee for deliberatley collapsing a maul left the Bees ill-equipped to halt Bedford's pack and two tries in the last four minutes gave the scoreline a deceptively one-sided look.
Bedford scored another try when the Bees were reduced to 14 men after flanker Will Matthews was sin-binned for off-side. But when the sides were at full strength it was a tight, if error-strewn contest, in which the Bees threatened to end Bedford's unbeaten record.
When the Bees struggled to control the ball at a sixth minute scrum close to their own line and the ball squirted out allowing Bedford scrum-half Alex Page a soft try which Mark Harris improved, it looked like being an easy day for the Blues.
But superb defence, in which Mike Davies excelled, and disruptive work in the loose by the pack, frustrated Bedford for long periods and Ben Harvey pulled back three points with a seventh minute penalty.
Harris crossed for the first of his two tries just before the break and added the extras but the Bees responded with a superb try from the re-start. Nic Strauss knocked on the kick-off and the ball was snaffled up by Cae Trayhern, who had an outstanding game for the Bees. The former Pontypool flanker made ground before he fed Tim Walsh whose long pass gave Nick Baxter the space to apply a superb finish.
Harvey's conversion off an upright trimmed Bedford's lead to just four points at the break which was the way it stayed until Matthews was yellow-carded and Bedford capitalised by putting Strauss over from a five metres scrum for a try that Harris improved.
Harvey slotted a 60th minute penalty to revive the Bees' hopes and a surprise win beckoned when Harvey slipped two tackles and put Aaron Takarangi over with a well-timed pass.
But Harvey's conversion bounced out off a post and Orgee's sin-binning gave Bedford the advantage they needed to secure a maximum points win as replacement hooker Matt Price and Harris crossed for late tries and Harris, who missed for penalty attempts, maintained his 100 per cent record with conversions.

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