Caldy have the power to see off Bedford

A VOCIFEROUS and partisan crowd of 1.875 watched one of the best games of rugby ever seen at Caldy’s Paton Field. It promised to be a game of power versus pace and for the first 30 minutes it was just that with Caldy’s power prevailing.

A kick off by the Blues sailed directly into touch and from the ensuing scrum on the halfway line the Caldy pack demolished the Bedford eight and the pattern of the game was seemingly set.

Under pressure Bedford were conceding penalties and after five minutes scrum-half Chris Pilgrim touched down behind Caldy’s driving maul with Elliott Gourlay converting. Although a yellow card for Pilgrim brought the Blues back into it with a try by Sean French, converted by William Maisey, Caldy also prospered in Pilgrim’s absence with a well worked backs try sparked by an incisive break by man of the match Gourlay and finished by Louis Beer.

Caldy pulled further ahead with a try by the Adam Aigbokhae, with an opportunity for another as a further Bedford transgression should have set up Caldy for a lineout catch and drive. The touch kick fell inches the wrong side of the line and Bedford capitalised on the let off with a score by Matthew Worley. 21-14 at the break with all to play for.

The Blues started the second half at full throttle. Quick fire tries from Kieran Curran and Sean French from typical fizzing and inventive Blues’ play put the visitors seven points ahead and for the first time Caldy were being outpaced and out

manoeuvred by a rampant and increasingly confident Bedford.

A change of tactics and personnel by the home side completely changed the complexion of the contest as power and pragmatism gave way to an exciting and adventurous 30 minute of all action rugby orchestrated by live wire Lewis Barker. It resulted in tries by Gourlay, Ollie Hearn, and the evergreen Nick Royle to clinch an impressive home win in the most thrilling fashion and push Caldy up to a respectable seventh place in the Championship table.

Caldy’s head coach Matt Cairns was pleased with both the result and the form his side have shown in January. “That was a highly entertaining game of rugby which I am sure the Wirral public will have enjoyed. We are starting to find our feet in the Championship”