Pete Vickers produced another flawless kicking display as BBOB were edged out 22-17 by Wellingborough.
BBOB had been warned about penalties, with Wellingborough carrying in their ranks the deadly accurate boot of Vickers, as Old Scouts and Leighton Buzzard would testify.
This was forgotten as bb transgressed early and Vickers gave Boro a 3-0 lead.
BB looked good in patches, but poor decision-making and an alarming problem of not looking after the ball kept them scoreless.
From a BB attack, Boro turned the ball over and scored in the corner. Vickers converted to make it 10-0.
The rest of the half became the Vickers show, kicking two penalties and driving BB back with some big line kicks.
BB attacked from deep and some good hands gave player-coach Ben Mann a try. Drew Behan added the extras.
On the stroke of half-time BBOB missed a penalty from in front of the posts as BB trailed 16-7.
BB were well in the game but a penalty at a scrum gave Vickers another three points.
BB were now well in the ascendancy and pinned Boro back, putting penalties in the corner and from one of these prop Olly Cottle barged over, Mann converting.
A Mann penalty made it 19-17 and the BB faithful sensed a win, but up stepped Vickers to continue his superb kicking display to seal victory for Boro with another penalty.
BB take the bonus point and edge themselves a step further from the relegation zone.
Solid Scouts hold their nerve as they see off Dunstable
Old Scouts’ stern defence held out against a strong Dunstable side to record a deserved 26-8 win.
It was the visitors who took the lead after 10 minutes with a penalty, which Scouts conceded for being offside at a ruck.
However, just a couple of minutes after the restart, fly-half Adam Frost crashed through and with himself adding the extras, Scouts took a 7-3 lead.
Frost slotted a penalty just minutes later, allowing Scouts to stretch their lead. But as they started to feel comfortable, they lost Jack Green for a 10-minute period for a supposed late tackle, which bemused most on the pitch. With a man down, Scouts worked hard and kept their defence solid.
Then as Green entered the field, Dunstable found themselves a man down, with their No.8 being asked to rest for 10 minutes for persistent offside around the fringes.
From the resulting penalty, Frost slotted the points to allow Scouts to take a 13-3 lead into half-time.
From the restart the visitors threw everything at Scouts and took a length-of-the-field try out wide down the left following good hands in midfield.
As the game continued, Scouts reclaimed their authority.
Frost took his second try well with another break through Dunstable’s line, however he couldn’t manage the extras on this occasion.
Then, for the remaining 30 minutes or so, Scouts lost three further players to the sin bin, one after the other.
John Balance was the first to go for a harsh decision of a high tackle, then as he came back on, Richard Bussey went for a rest after a dangerous tackle.
Not wanting to be left out, Jordan Dolman took his rest for the final 10 minutes for a punch, which if he’d connected, would have sent the player into the car park.
Although being a man down, Scouts’ defence held firm and another penalty from Frost, followed by an unconverted try out wide by the ‘swallow diving’ skipper Russell Lynch sealed a well deserved victory for the hosts.
Spirited ONs claim losing bonus point at Ilkeston
Old Northamptonians earned a losing bonus point for their spirited performance at Ilkeston. The teams were closely matched but the ONs’ kicking out of hand was again variable. Several times, particularly in the first half, ONs failed to find touch from penalties, losing the chance to establish an attacking base and in the second half a poor kick led directly to Ilkeston’s first try. ONs’ points came by way of a Matt Love try and Tom Goodman penalty.
Brackley seal promotion with easy victory over Oundle
Brackley ensured their promotion to Midlands Three East (South) next season with an emphatic 38-0 win over fourth-placed Oundle. During a sparkling first half, the home team zipped into an unassailable lead with four tries and two conversions, adding two more of each in the second period while maintaining a clean sheet for the sixth consecutive match. With 94 points to their name, Brackley cannot be caught by third-placed Bedford Swifts.
Daventry stay sixth despite defeat at Stockwood Park
Daventry suffered their 12th league defeat of the season as they lost 24-10 at Stockwood Park. Daventry remain sixth in Midlands Three East (South).
Buckby beaten by Queens
Long Buckby remain third from bottom of Midlands Three East (South) after a 26-5 defeat at Bedford Queens.