Late drama as Bletchley see off Bicester

Bletchley once again narrowly held the edge on Saturday when they saw past Bicester at Whitelands Way in a thrilling 22-20 win.

The game began with Bletchley asserting themselves early. Powerful runs from the Bletchley forwards started to wear down the Bicester defence, culminating in Joshua Bradley breaking through and setting up Olie Comery to score the opening try.

With momentum building, Bletchley struck again when Kyle Gibbings crossed in the corner, following a smooth sequence of offloads from the backs. Fly-half Cameron Watkins added the conversion, putting Bletchley up 12-0.

Bicester responded with tenacity, capitalizing on Bletchley’s discipline errors. Reduced to 14 men due to penalties, Bletchley conceded a penalty kick, which Bicester slotted to reduce the lead. Another penalty soon saw Bicester drive over from a lineout, converting to bring the halftime score to a tight 10-12.

The second half opened with Bicester continuing to apply pressure at scrum time. Bletchley, however, fended off a near push-over try, cleared their lines, and soon extended their lead with a successful penalty kick from Watkins.

Bicester surged back once more, driving over from a lineout to even the score at 15-15.

With time running down, Bletchley dug deep. Captain Hugo Govett powered over the line, with Watkins converting to give Bletchley a crucial 15-22 advantage.

In a thrilling conclusion, Bicester mounted one last challenge and managed to score in the corner, closing the gap to 20-22. However, their kicker’s conversion attempt sailed wide, sealing a hard-earned victory for Bletchley.

Hooker Jordan Murray earned the man of the match for his outstanding performance throughout.

Next up, Bletchley face Northampton Heathens in the first round of the Lewis Shield on Saturday November 2, kicking off at 12:30pm.