Knights Go 3 From 3 in Champ Cup with Win Over Bedford Blues at Home

Doncaster Knights secured their third Championship Cup victory today with a 29-20 bonus-point win over Bedford Blues at Castle Park.

Despite the final scoreline, the visitors were the first on the scoreboard for the day. When Doncaster were penalised for what looked to be an early tackle, Will Maisey indicated a shot at goal and duly kicked the 3 points.

The men called the Blues but wearing white for the day added to their tally just minutes later. Charles Rylands, making the original break, found Dean Adamson outside of him for the pass – the winger ran the ball in the remaining 10 metres for the day’s first try. With Maisey’s conversion, Bedford were 10 points to the good.

The Knights soon followed with a try of their own. The ball, coming off a Bedford hand before falling into touch, awarded the Knights a linoeout on the Bedford 5m line. Ben Murphy took the throw before George Roberts steered the driving maul from the rear, and ultimately dived over the whitewash for the home side’s first points. With Alex Dolly’s successful conversion, the gap narrowed.

As the first quarter drew to a close, the Knights drove over for a second score. Another direct product of the maul, Roberts and Murphy combined with the throw once more before the man with 2 on his back dotted down for the important points.

On the half hour mark, the visitors drew ahead again. Combining passes amongst their backs on the wing on the far side, Pat Tapley took the final pass timed well-enough to allow the Bedford man to go over at a tight angle in the corner. Maisey conversion from just inside the touchline sealed the deal.

Barely 2 minutes later the Knights caught up. Dolly fed Connor Edwards to enable the centre to combine quickly with Sam Olver. The fly-half then didn’t need asking twice to give the perfectly weighted ball to Maliq Holden on the wing for a 40m dash into the try line.

The home side were the first to strike again in the second half. Just 2 minutes in and the Donny men were crossing the whitewash for the all-important bonus-point score. Another clean ball to Murphy was the beginnings of the Knights’ maul steamrolling over the Bedford line and it was eventual man-of-the-match Roberts in control at the back, taking a hat-trick for himself.

It took for the hour mark to come and go before the next points were charted. Gaining a penalty for a knock-on just a metre or so inside the Knights half, Sean French elected to go for the posts. The centre sealed the kick for the visitors’ 3 points which brought them within 2 of the Knights.

The Doncaster men put the sealant on the day’s proceedings, and denied the visitors a losing bonus-point, with a final converted try on 79 minutes. Replacement Theo Vukasinovic took the lineout throw from Will Holling and, as Bedford expected the maul, the second rower popped the ball down to John Kelly. The back-rower charged into view of the defensive line and promptly repelled a couple of last-ditch tackles to dot down for the try.

Bedford rushed down upon Dolly as he took his conversion attempt, but in his final act of the game, the scrum-half kept his calm to slot the conversion.

On a side note, the day marked Billy McBryde’s first appearance of the 2022/23 season for the Knights after a frustrating bout of injury. The Welshman looked comfortable back in his full-back shirt, and many fans will be hoping for a continued positive return to play for the young back over the next few weeks.

Another back, Tyson Lewis, in taking to the field to replace Maliq Holden secured his 199th appearance – leaving many loyal Knights fans waiting anxiously for that ever-impressive 200th.

The Knights squad now head into a by-week before preparation turns back to the league competition for a trip to Butts Park Arena to face Coventry on Saturday, Dec 3.

Match Statistics

Knights XV | 15 Billy McBryde; 14 George Simpson, 13 Joe Margetts, 12 Connor Edwards, 11 Maliq Holden; 10 Sam Olver, 9 Alex Dolly; 1 Kai Owen, 2 George Roberts, 3 Jake Armstrong, 4 Evan Mintern, 5 Ehize Ehizode, 6 Ben Murphy, 7 Jared Cardew, 8 John Kelly.

Replacements | 16 Will Holling, 17 Jake Pope, 18 Mak Wilson, 19 Theo Vukasinovic, 20 Sam Daly, 21 Will Yarnell, 22 Tom Parkin, 23 Tyson Lewis.

Tries: Roberts 3, Holden, Kelly

Cons: Dolly 2

Bedford Blues XV | 15 Michael Le Bourgeois; 14 Pat Tapley, 13 Sean French, 12 Jamie Elliott, 11 Dean Adamson; 10 Will Maisey, 9 Alex Day; 1 Joey Conway, 2 Jack Hughes, 3 Oisin Heffernan, 4 Robin Williams, 5 Luke Frost, 6 Jac Arthur, 7 Charles Rylands, 8 Tui Uru.

Replacements | 16 Jacob Fields, 17 Monty Royston, 18 Osman Dimen, 19 George Grigg-Pettitt, 20 Aston Gradwick-Light, 21 Matteo Petrozzi, 22 Frankie Sleighthome, 23 Ryan Apps.

Tries: Adamson, Tapley

Cons: Maisey 2

Pens: Maisey, French

Referee: Hamish Grant

Gallery