ROUND 22 ROUND-UP

A last-gasp Will Maisey penalty proved the difference as Bedford Blues edged out Caldy 29-26 to make it seven consecutive bonus-point wins to complete the season.

Bedford had enjoyed the better of the first half, leading 26-14 at the break. Jamie Jack got them off the mark, only for Caldy to respond through Michael Barlow.

Connor Wilkinson then put the home side in front but Blues responded through Luke Frost before James Lennon grabbed their third after good build-up from Dean Adamson.

And Louis James added the bonus point to make it a 12-point advantage right on the stroke of half-time.

The second half was a different matter entirely however, with Wilkinson notching a second to get Caldy back into it before Adamson was shown a red card.

Will Robinson got a fourth Caldy try as they drew level but Maisey had the final say, slotting a penalty despite incredibly tough conditions to snatch the win for the visitors.

Cornish Pirates came from behind to beat Nottingham 35-34 in an entertaining encounter at Mennaye Field.

Trailing 27-14 at the break, Pirates fought back to win by a single point following a brilliant kicking display from Bruce Houston.

Nottingham made a dream start with tries from Harry Graham and David Williams, but Matt Pritchard got Pirates on the board.

Ryan Olowofela’s try followed by a second for Williams made it 20-7, with Nottingham unable to convert any of their tries.

Chester Ribbons got a second for Pirates but Jay Ecclesfield ensured Nottingham went into half-time the happier, leading by 13.

That soon stretched to 20 points, Nottingham getting another try from a rolling maul, before Pirates roared back.

Two tries in two minutes from Milo Hallam and Harry Yates brought them right back into the game, before Harry Hocking’s try, converted by Houston, put Pirates in front for the first time after an hour.

That proved to be the end of the scoring, with Nottingham missing two late chances to regain the lead.

Champions Ealing finished their campaign on a high with a comprehensive 45-12 win away to Hartpury.

Geordie Gwynn gave them a fast start with a debut try after just two minutes, with Matt Cornish quickly adding a second.

Jack Johnson responded for Hartpury but tries from David Douglas Bridge and Michael Dykes brought up the Ealing bonus point by half-time.

Max Bodilly and Max Knight exchanged scores in the second half but a second Cornish try was followed by Tobi Wilson getting over for Ealing’s seventh to wrap up the win.

Director of rugby Ben Ward said: “We rotated the squad, gave some guys some debuts. I’m really, really pleased. It’s a tough place to come and they have got an incredible home record. So I can speak highly enough of the players and how they went about their job.

“As a club, you are incredibly proud. When you are the team that everybody is chasing, you look at how we are going to do it again? The players have got a target on their backs every single week and to go out there and perform as they have done this year, has been outstanding. There is more to come from this group.”

Doncaster Knights put in a fine second-half display to run out 29-19 winners away to Ampthill.

Telusa Veainu had given Doncaster an early lead, but two tries in quick succession from Byron Sharwood and Valentino Mapapalangi put Ampthill in front.

Alex Dolly drew Knights level at 12-12 at the break and they flew out of the blocks early in the second half.

Jordan Olowofela and Aidan Cross each crossed in the first 10 minutes of the second half to bring up the bonus point with Maliq Holden coming off the bench to stretch the lead further.

Rhys Marshall did get over right at the death for Ampthill but it was too little, too late.

Chinnor signed off their first season in the Championship in style with an 82-34 win over Cambridge.

Luke Carter was the star of the show with four tries as they romped home.

Kieran Goss had got the ball rolling after just seven minutes, but his score was cancelled out by Matt Hema.

Carter then took centre stage with two quick tries, followed by a score for Grant Hughes for the bonus point inside half an hour.

Zac Nearchou got a second Cambridge try, but Chinnor were 40-14 up by the break, a second Goss score and a try for Alun Walker stretching their lead.

The second half was non-stop tries with James Bourton and Scott Hall getting over for Ampthill while Cambridge got their own bonus point thanks to two tries from Ben Brownlie.

Kayde Sylvester scored their fifth, but Ampthill still led 54-29 as the hour-mark passed.

Both sides continued to find their way over the whitewash, with Carter having the final say with two tries in the last five minutes to take Ampthill past 80 and complete a four-try afternoon.

Four tries in the last 10 minutes proved crucial for Coventry as they saw off London Scottish 50-31.

An early try from Sam Maunder put Coventry in front but Austin Wallis and then Dan Nutton gave the Exiles the lead.

Jake Henry hit back for Coventry but a Josh Bellamy score put London Scottish 17-14 up at the break.

Maunder and Henry crossed twice in quick succession to make it 28-17 with quarter of an hour remaining, but that is when the game sparked into life.

A second Wallis try made it 28-24 before Logan Trotter gave Coventry a little more breathing room, crossing with eight minutes to go.

He added another almost immediately after, followed by a try for Will Lane that put the game to bed.

Matt Gribbon did score a fifth for Scottish before Tommy Mathews went over for the final try of the game to seal victory.