Ampthill continued their fine form in the RFU Championship since the turn of the year, recording their fourth win in their last five games, after scoring six tries in a convincing 38-19 victory against London Scottish on The Olney Field.
The Mob dominated the territory early on in the contest, but The Exiles defence kept them at bay until Ampthill finally scored the first try of the match in the 14th minute. A delicate box kick from Rory Morgan was allowed to bounce close to the try line, and after claiming the ball, Josh Barton eased across the try line, converting his own try to give The Mob a 7-0 lead.
Ampthill scored two more tries before the half hour mark to extend their lead to 19-0 to take control of the match. After receiving a loopy pass from Josh Barton inside the Ampthill half, Jack Bracken showed impressive speed to gallop past two last ditch tackles to stroll across the whitewash in the 17th minute. The Mob continued to apply significant pressure, and in the 29th minute, Harrison Courtney crashed his way over the try line from close range after the ball was quickly recycled.
The Mob secured the try bonus three minutes before half time to take a commanding 26-0 lead into the break. Rory Morgan received a pass near the touchline just outside the visitors 22, and after a superb kick through inside, the ball sat up perfectly for Jack Bracken, who sprinted away to secure his 2nd try of the afternoon.
Ampthill flew out of the blocks at the start of the second half, extending their lead to 31-0 just two minutes after the restart. The ball was spread across to the left hand side, and after receiving an offload from Valentino Mapapalangi, winger Brandon Jackson somehow managed to wrestle off the tacklers near the touchline, and travelled nearly 30 metres before diving over in the corner.
Despite trailing 31-0 with just under half the game to go, London Scottish responded well, scoring their first try of the match just three minutes after conceding. Hooker Austin Wallis finished off a dominant rolling maul from close range with The Exiles’ first attacking foray in the second period.
The game became error-strewn in the last 20 minutes, but the visitors reduced the deficit further to 31-12 with another superb individual run. Winger Roma Zheng received the ball with the space to run into on halfway, and after beating off some desperate tackles before finishing brilliantly in the right corner in the 68th minute.
Ampthill and London Scottish exchanged converted tries in the final five minutes to conclude the scoring. Roan Frostwick ran clear in the 76th minute following a superb offload of the base of the rolling maul by James Isaacs, and another well-timed offload from Ashley Challenger sent experienced back Jonah Holmes into a gaping hole with the last play of the match, but ultimately The Mob ran out comfortable 38-19 winners.
Speaking after his side’s comfortable victory, Ampthill head coach Paul Turner said, “We certainly back up the win against Coventry last week. We made a few errors in the second half but the game, which you can’t normally say, was probably won by half time because we were clinical in the first half. It’s a good win for us, and I’m really pleased for the players”.
The 1st XV are next at home on Sat 10th May when local rivals Bedford Blues visit The Olney Field – book your ticket now at https://tinyurl.com/ARUFC2024-25
We have three tables left in hospitality – two course lunch plus match ticket for £35/head.
Ampthill Points Scorers
Tries: Barton 14, Bracken 17, 37; Courtney 29, Jackson 42, Frostwick 76
Conversions: Barton 15, 30, 38, 77
Attendance: 811
Carlsberg Britvic and 1664 Biere Man of the Match: Harrison Courtney
