Bedford Blues 51 Plymouth Albion 3

Albion succumbed to an eight-try blitz at Goldington Road as the Blues proved merciless opponents on the opening day.

Ollie Dodge bagged a hat-trick of tries with full-back James Pritchard claiming two on a day when nothing went right for Albion. Richmond, Harding and Taylor added further scores for the Blues with Pritchard landing four conversions and a penalty. The only offering from the visitors was a Mark Lee penalty after 29 minutes.

Dodge told Bedfordshire on Sunday afterwards: “Credit really needs to go to the coaches though. During the weeks of hard work in pre-season they’ve tried to install a mentality where everyone knows what they are doing and that really showed today.”

He added: “I think it was the perfect start. We wanted to get out there and play as well as we could, and in all honesty I think we were surprised as to how well we played.”

Full match report www.bedfordshire-news.co.uk

Albion boss Graham Dawe remained upbeat despite the mauling by the Blues but admitted that the result was far from ideal.

He told The Herald: “I know the players are aiming to stay positive. They did some good stuff on Saturday, but, obviously, they will be under pressure next week because of this scoreline. We are just hoping the players will respond in the right way."

He added: "Bedford are a good turnover team and that try right on half-time killed the contest. We just got turned over too easily at times and paid the price. But you have to give full credit to Bedford."

Albion are at home to Worcester on Saturday.

Full story www.thisisplymouth.co.uk

Moseley 17 Esher 29

Esher survived a late fight back by Moseley at Billesley Common to win their first game in the Championship.

The Surrey side led 21-5 at half-time through tries from Sam Smith and Jonny Hylton. Mike Whitehead converted Smith`s effort and added three penalties with the only response from the home side being an unconverted score from Chevvy Pennycook.

But Moseley turned up the heat in the scrum after the break and battered the Esher line eventually resulting in tries for Brad Davies and David Lyons.

With their lead cut to just four points at 21-17 and Moseley scenting an unlikely victory, Esher`s replacements made the telling contribution as Sam Ulph landed a penalty on 66 minutes before Dave Millard crossed the home line nine minutes from time.

Full report www.birminghammail.net

Worcester Warriors 48 Birmingham & Solihull 3

The Bees were on the receiving end of a six-try rout at Sixways but Warriors boss Richard Hill only gave his side four out of ten for the efforts.

He told the Worcester News: “We have to work on our defence — that might seem a bit silly because we kept a clean sheet but that was down to last-ditch tackling.

I think the team didn’t disagree when I said to them in the huddle afterwards that I thought it was a four out of 10 performance.

“They admitted they have got some work to do but it was the first time that XV had been put together. It was a good start, though. We can build on it and get better.”

After an early Simon Hunt penalty for the visitors it was all about the Warriors as Abbot, Garvey, Higgitt, Arscott and Lutui all scored tries with a penalty try added late in the match as the Bees repeatedly infringed deep in their own territory.

Joey Carlisle kicked fourteen points with Andy Goode also converting the last two tries.

Match report www.worcesternews.co.uk

Bees boss Russell Earnshaw told the Birmingham Post: “We probably had 20 visits to their 22 and come away with three points – and those were from outside it. It’s about accuracy and clarity. It’s getting those points to keep the board ticking over. We didn’t have that, we probably lacked a little bit of leadership of someone to say ‘right, this is what we are doing.”

“You have to have the guys who can drive the bus. We need to get those guys pretty quickly. We have got one player, Matt Long, who has played 168 games for the club and no-one else is even near 100. We have a few near 50 or 60 and probably the most who have got seven or eight.

“It’s that playing together, it’s knowing what people around you are going to do. We have got to accelerate that process as quick as we can. There is no other way to do it other than playing in competitive games like this.”

Full story www.birminghampost.net

Cornish Pirates 30 Doncaster Knights 14

Pirates news here www.cornish-pirates.com

Pirates match report match_reports/doncaster_home

The brief view from Yorkshire www.doncasterfreepress.co.uk

Bristol 24 Rotherham Titans 26

Andre Bester`s new-look Titans returned home from the west country with an unexpected win as the match at the Memorial Ground ended in chaos.

Sam Dickinson`s converted try at the end of sixteen minutes of second half stoppage time won the game for the Titans as Bristol finished with only twelve players on the pitch.

Lock Mariano Sambucetti was in the sin bin whilst Mark Irish and Wayne Thompson had left the field through injury. Referee Rowan Kitt ordered that the game should go to uncontested scrums and the Titans power up front finally told.

But Bristol boss Paul Hull refused to blame the match officials for the confusion which surrounded the end of the game.

He told the Bristol Evening Post: “We're very disappointed and we had opportunities to score a few times – especially in the second half when we opened them up. The patterns were there, the space was being created, but we just didn't finish it off with that pass.”

Hull continued: “If you go to uncontested then you have to take someone else off, so it stops that sort of playing of the rules and laws.”

"Having being pinged with Sambucetti as well, we were hit again when it went to uncontested scrums – and I think that's what the confusion was about while the officials and the fourth official were clarifying the rules.

"(Hooker) Ollie Hayes could have gone back on, but tactically we were already down by a few people in the scrum and they had a pretty good scrum. So we decided to take Dan Norton off and have a few more numbers around the breakdown to defend the pick-and-go."

Full story www.thisisbristol.co.uk

Bristol led 18-10 at half-time courtesy of tries from Nicky Little and James Merriman whilct the Titans replied with a try of their own from Sandford.

Little added two second half penalties for the home side but the trusty boot of Juan Pablo Socino kept the Titans in with a shout until Dickinson`s dramatic late try converted by Socino.

Match report www.thestar.co.uk

Nottingham 21 London Welsh 27

The Exiles claimed a hard fought bonus point win at Meadow Lane on an afternoon when fly-half James Arlidge pushed them all the way as he landed seven penalties.

Despite first half tries from Drauniniu and Gibson along with a penalty from Gordon Ross the visitors found themselves 15-13 down at half-time as Arlidge punsihed their indiscipline.

He extended the lead to five points early in the second half despite the dominance of the Welsh and it took until the 68^th minute for the home defence to finally crack. Centre Simon Whatling scored a routine try and Ross converted.

Unbelieveably Nottingham then re-took the lead with yet another effort from Arlidge before Drauniniu`s second try in the 75<sup>th</sup> minute and Ross` conversion finally made the game safe for the London side.

Report www.thisisnottingham.co.uk

Welsh view www.london-welsh.co.uk