Bedford 22, Otley 15

ARMY prop Steven Trethewey made his first start for Otley, replacing Kris Fullman whose back injury sustained last week, was still causing him trouble.

After missing a game Rob Whatmuff fitted in at centre for Neil Law, who was best man at the wedding of Leeds and GB centre Keith Senior.

Although never having much luck at Bedford hopes were high for a result, so well have Otley been performing.

However, they were not helped by the ground conditions and were perhaps their own worst enemy by constantly trying too much close inter-passing instead of keeping it simple, a game for which they are well fitted.

They were caught cold from the kick-off when, after scrambling the ball into touch, found themselves driven backwards by an excellent rolling maul and unable to stop hooker Kramer Ronaki being forced over.

Fly-half Ed Barnes, who was to have a most unhappy afternoon, missing four kicks in all, had success with his first conversion.

Otley soon replied in similar vein, a penalty kicked into the corner leading to a drive for the line which, although held, set up position for Dave Scully to scamper over, too wide out for Simon Binns to improve upon.

The Otley forwards were generally having the better of a fierce confrontation but it was Bedford who went further ahead after stealing a line-out, hurrying the ball down the line and finding a gap in the defence when the ball was turned back inside to centre Tom Kirk, who slipped through, Barnes again converting.

They almost scored again when a Binns penalty, awarded for a late tackle on centre Matt Oliver, struck the posts to bounce wide, giving Bedford a drop-out which was gathered by their winger Lee Anker.

He raced away and it required a desperate tackle to pull him down just short of the line.

Otley were again lucky when Barnes failed with a penalty under the posts but, one minute before the break they struck when, after spoiling a threatening move with a knock-on, Oliver charged down a clearing kick from the resultant scrum and forced his way through to touch down, the Binns conversion taking the score to 14-12.

Ten minutes into the second-half Otley were ahead when Binns kicked a penalty but the lead was brief because Barnes replied similarly after the re-start was not secured and in the mix-up a penalty conceded.

Once again it was Otley applying the pressure but without result. In the comings and goings Binns failed with a penalty chance to once again move ahead when Barnes followed suit.

The game came to a conclusion in the 77th minute when Binns was sin-binned for a reaction high tackle, not intentional but still illegal, on Ro-naki.

He then added insult to injury by scoring from the quickly taken penalty only for Barnes once again to send his kick wide, thus ensuring Otley at least came away with a bonus point which keeps them in fourth position in League One.