It was a marquee day for Dean Adamson, the Bedford Blues winger, as he scored five of his team’s 12 tries on his 200th appearance, the last of which equalled the club’s all-time try scoring record, as his side dominated from start to finish in an 87-19 victory.
Adamson was out of the blocks straight away as there was barely a minute on the clock when he sprinted past two Nottingham players wide left and brushed Matthew Arden aside on his way over the try line.
Five minutes later, after Bedford knocked on on the Nottingham 22 the visitors were dominant in the scrum but when the ball popped out the referee called play-on and the Blues were first onto it. Joe Howard was the ultimate beneficiary as he recorded the first of two tries
Gwyn Parks nearly replied immediately for the Archers but he was stopped in the shadow of the posts. That was the best Nottingham could muster for the next 20 minutes, however, as Howard plundered his second try when a grubber-cum-50:22 gave his side excellent field position to set him up.
And the try bonus point was secured by Mike Rayer’s men inside 15 minutes as they found yet another gap in the Nottingham line to break free and Jack Stapley could do nothing to stop the pass inside to Adamson to double his tally. After another stunning 50:22 Lucas Titherington made it five moments later.
The Archers managed to then stem the tide for a whole seven minutes before an overthrown lineout gave Fred Tuilagi the chance to make a couple of penetrating runs before Oisin Heffernan drove over for yet another score under the posts for the hosts.
Nottingham’s second foray into Bedford territory approaching the half hour mark finally reaped rewards as a set play from a lineout in the corner allowed the outstretched arm of James Cherry to dot down between the posts.
Normal service was resumed just over five minutes later, however as, first, prop Joey Conway burrowed in, then Adamson notched his hat-trick to take Bedford past the 50 point mark.
With the clock in the red at the end of the first half Nottingham had their best spell of possession of the game, even though Sam Mercer was off the field after he received a yellow card for a high tackle. Ultimately a lovely pass out of the back door by Josh Goodwin teed up Cherry to get the Archers’, and his, second try, making it Bedford Blues 56-14 Nottingham at the break.
Adamson carried on where he left off within two minutes of the restart as he ran in his fourth. And three minutes later, where Titherington could have run it in he instead chose to pass it to Adamson to become Bedford’s joint top try scorer of all-time with 145 on his 32nd birthday.
Craig Hammond responded by ringing the changes as he cleared the bench, but it made scant difference as Alex Day immediately took it over the line for Bedford’s 11th of the afternoon.
In the 54th minute Mercer did his best Dean Adamson impersonation as he broke free on the right wing to run in Nottingham’s third and final try.
Once again it was only a brief respite, as Luke Frost drove over for the Blues’ 12th. Nottingham then did manage to hold Bedford at bay for a while but, after a prolonged period of pressure on the visitors’ line, Will Maisey went in under the posts as the game entered its final 10 minutes.
Adamson went searching for his record-breaking try but Tom Threlfall spoiled his party as he tried to pick up a loose ball in the Nottingham 22 and the remainder of the game was played out in the midfield.
Craig Hammond left the post-match huddle to the players to dissect what ultimately was a very disappointing afternoon for the Archers.