Twice the visiting Reds – wearing their all-blue away strip – looked to have worked their way into a winning position in their 47-38 success, only to allow their plucky opponents to pull back the deficit to a measly two points.
Even when the visitors chalked up their sixth and seventh tries within a three-minute spell inside the final quarter, stretching 16 points clear of division new boys Ampthill, the win wasn’t secure. You sensed that anything could happen, but although the home side managed another try – their fifth, they ran out of puff just as the November afternoon ran out of daylight.
The Ampthill experience was a novel one for the Reds, filing through a leafy copse to a pitch within a natural amphitheatre, around five minutes walk from the clubhouse and changing rooms.
Perhaps the surroundings were to blame for a distinctly dodgy start by the visitors, or maybe they were unsettled by the freak weather –it wasn’t raining, and there was barely a breath of wind. A penalty was conceded straight from the kick-off, and although Ampthill missed touch, Red relief was short-lived.
Fly-half Greg Dyer then had a kick charged down by his opposing fly-half Sam Costelow, who hacked through and looked certain to score. The subsequent deflection off the goalpost was about the only thing that could have prevented the Welsh teenager from scoring, but Joe Bercis was doing the job of a good back-row man and claimed the try with only 49 seconds on the clock.
A grim start, but the visiting team didn’t dwell on it and soon used successive penalties to carve out a scoring opportunity. They took it too, with skipper Josh Bainbridge on the back of a powerful maul.
Greg Dyer couldn’t add the extras, but within five minutes he was lining up – and converting – another place-kick after TJ Harris had finished another maul. This one came from a clever kick through by George Spencer that gave the home defence no option but to take the ball into touch close to the corner flag.
Winning a regular stream of penalties was helping the Reds control the game, and three more in quick succession yielded another score – this time a penalty try that also had Amps’ skipper Dave Ward yellow-carded for entering the maul from the side.
A fourth try early in the second quarter could have put the Reds out of sight, and they came close. Another lineout opportunity was squandered when the ball was overthrown, Luc Jones’ 40-metre burst through midfield came to nothing as he couldn’t find a supporting runner, and then Alex Morgan – another Welsh teenager gaining Championship experience – charged towards the posts but was brought down just short.
Have failed to make hay while the sun had been shining, the Reds paid the price in the closing stages of the half. Back up to 15 men, the home side rallied through a try from dual-registered Saracens lock Jon Kpoku and five points from the boot of Costelow, leaving it 17-19 at the break – finely poised.
The second half began like the first for the visitors, with a kick charged down within a minute of the kick-off – Jones the victim this time. Ampthill sniffed the chance of regaining the lead, but a scrum penalty and some back-chat helped the Reds to clear, and yet another penalty meant a platform for Dyer to find touch and the maul to power forward. Harris broke clear, then Jones had a dart and finally the hooker regained possession and burrowed through to score.
The hosts sought a quick riposte, but were perhaps over-eager and Morgan was the quickest to sense this, plucking out an intercept and racing 60 metres to the line. Still half an hour to play, but a 16-point lead seemed a commanding one.
After starting their debut Championship season well – two wins and a draw in five games surpasses most debutants at this level since the Reds reached tier two – Ampthill weren’t lacking self-belief and refused to lie down. Bercis surged over from close range and within a couple of minutes another Saracens prodigy, Elliot Obatoyinbo, sparked another try when his kick ahead bounced wickedly over Will Homer’s head and was gathered by Sam Baker, who fed Louis Grimoldby for the try that made it 31-33.
To their credit, the Reds rolled up their sleeves and set about trying to win the game a third time – the subsequent two-try salvo was just what was required. First there was another penalty try and yellow card for Ampthill’s hooker – this time replacement Aleki Lutui – and then a superb counter-attacking effort that delighted the vocal – and bell-clanging – contingent of visiting supporters.
The move began when Kyle Hatherell nicked an Ampthill lineout and the Reds attacked from deep. Brendan Owen raced out of his own 22, and there was great support and no drop in pace as Auguy Slowik took the ball on near halfway before Homer finished in the corner.
There was still time for Costelow to show the potential that has made him one of the leading prospects at Leicester Tigers, making a mazy run and kicking through only for Jack Stapley to snuff out the danger. Then Costelow nipped over for a try with six minutes to play.
The game continued from end to end in its crazy Barbarians style, and the Reds seemed reluctant to dampen the party spirit as they were awarded two late penalties. Both were kickable, but they pressed instead for an eighth try, albeit that this eluded them.
Pauses for breath were a rare commodity until eventually the final whistle sounded.
