BEDFORD TIGERS 24 – 00 GLOUCESTERSHIRE WARRIORS

The Gloucestershire Warriors remain in fifth place in the Midlands Premier table after they were forced to call off their game with Bedford Tigers following a rash of late cry-offs that reduced them to a team of just eight players.

“We are disappointed at having to pull out of the game,” said chairman Chris Wilson. “But we were put in a position whereby we just couldn’t get enough players in time to play the game.”

“As a club, our roots are not yet deep enough to ensure that we can raise a team with so many players unavailable for a variety of reasons.”

The result of the Warriors first cry off since a game with the North London Skolars in 2002 is that the Tigers gain the points with a 24-0 scoreline and the Warriors will now play their home game with the Tigers scheduled for 19 July in Bedford rather than at Chosen Hill.

The result also means that qualification for the play-offs has become that much harder. “We cannot afford to drop many more points from here on in,” says Wilson. “I know the talent is there and I think we are up for the challenge.”