In many ways this Powergen National Trophy quarter-final mirrored Otley's league clash of two months ago at home to Pertemps Bees.

For 50 minutes of both clashes, Otley struggled to find their form, the most obvious deficiencies this time being a failure to win their own line-outs and Simon Binns being unable to find touch with his clearance kicks.

Then, as instantly as if someone had turned on an electric light, the collective penny dropped.

Otley's pack began to tear into the opposition and Bed-ford became penned in their own half.

An 11-3 deficit was transformed into a 13-11 lead and Otley would have won were it not for changes of mind from referee Tim Wigglesworth.

Otley were battering away in Bedford's left-hand corner, a succession of pick and drives taking the hosts ever closer to what would have surely been a clinching score.

Home coach Peter Clegg takes up the story, saying: "Three times the referee put his hand up for our advantage in front of their posts and three times he put it down and allowed them to play on when we were five metres from their line.

"But where is the advantage unless they get a man sin-binned or we get a kick at goal?

"And then they got into our half and we were pulled up for offside in the middle - maybe it was an inch, maybe it was two inches.

"But we have now lost matches against Harlequins, Rother-ham and Bedford in the last minute and it is occurring too often for comfort for me."

The match took Clegg through the whole gamut of emotions and he admitted: "Bedford were happy to feed off our mistakes in the first half.

"We couldn't win our own line-out and Simon Binns failed to kick the ball ten metres from the kick-off (a harsh call from referee Wigg-lesworth as I thought Binns' kick was perfect) and on other occasions failed to find touch.

"We had words at half-time and I was delighted with our second-half response."

With the top half of the Chevin enveloped in mist and the bottom half distinctly murky, Otley showed the early enterprise.

Right-winger Kyle Dench chipped over the visitors' defence and it needed a one-handed take on the bounce in the eighth minute from Bed-ford full back Mark Harris to rescue the initial danger.

However, his clearing kick only found Otley left winger Waisale Sovatabua and he ran the ball back strongly.

Later in the same attack, Harris obstructed Sovatabua, who had chipped ahead, and Binns landed the penalty.

With home hooker Mark Luffman's radar askew in throwing into the line-outs, Bedford were able to keep the pressure on and when the hosts were offside in front of their posts in the 17th minute, Harris landed an equalising penalty.

Three minutes later Luffman was yellow carded for punching and while he was off the field Bedford took the lead, flanker Nic Strauss emerging from a pile of bodies with the ball.

Harris missed the conversion but did land another penalty as the half drew towards a close, putting the visitors 11-3 ahead.

Sovatabua was Otley's most dangerous runner but had a lucky escape in the 42nd minute, choosing to take the ball into contact and being penalised when a simpler op-tion would have been to pass the ball back to waiting full back Ian Shuttleworth. Harris missed the subsequent penalty for not releasing.

Binns hit the left-hand up-right with a penalty in the 47th minute but it was his break four minutes later that set up a try for skipper Glen Wilson, Binns converting to put Otley only a point behind.

Otley, and more particularly their forwards, had some real fire in their bellies at last and on the hour Shuttleworth had a try disallowed for a double movement.

Andy Brown, Paul Williams and Nathan Bland came on two minutes later for Dave Scully, Scott Connor and Matt Stock-dale, and in the 66th minute Bedford fly half Ali Hepher was sin-binned for handling in the ruck near the visitors' line. Binns' penalty put Otley ahead and there was no hint of a Bedford comeback until the 78th minute when Otley were adjudged to be offside and Harris stroked over what proved the winning penalty.

He missed another in the final minute when Otley replacement Tom Rock hesitated and isolated himself, being penalised for not releasing.

Clegg's face inside Otley's dressing room afterwards was understandably in direct contrast to the joy of Bedford's players as they marched to their changing room after their post-match debrief.

It was a costly defeat in more ways than one for Otley, denying them the chance of Twick-enham glory, and Bedford knew they had overcome a sizeable hurdle.