"A Friday night departure to Bedford rediscovered the well-trodden path of the away weekend, which had lost its novelty in previous campaigns in National Division Two.

In those years, we appeared to have reversed the national trend for second homes in rural areas by establishing our own weekend retreat at the Madjeski Hotel in Reading.

With the early part of the journey enlivened by the challenge of eating pasta from a flimsy paper plate which is steadily deteriorating under the weight of its contents, and the middle part in wide-eyed bewilderment at the huge glass atrium that is Norton Canes Services on the Toll Road, four hours on the road gradually evaporated.

Sacrificing Friday night to the motorway makes for a leisurely Saturday morning before an 11am team meeting. Even the news that the bus had been broken into overnight barely slowed the enthusiasm with which the breakfast buffet was approached.

Its ill-considered title of "eat all you like" was interpreted more of a challenge than an invitation, and the dining room soon came to resemble a grain drop in Rwanda.

The leisure facilities provide another welcome diversion. The pool may frustrate serious swimmers, being only five strokes long, but provides a dramatic demonstration of Archimedes Principle following the inelegant entry of the front five wearing rugby shorts from previous seasons.

John Hutton takes on the mantle of the Ancient Mariner as he continues to regale anyone who will listen that, according to t'website, there was no pool, and he hasn't brought his bathing suit. He seems bliss-fully unaware of the existence of the retail process, whereby a replacement pair might be available in exchange for a few pounds.

It is all a diversion before the real business of the day.

Bedford are a workmanlike side, without a great deal of scoring potential, but are enthusiastic in defence and efficient in ball retention.

We played really well in the first half after conceding an unremarkable try and created four clear-cut scoring opportunities without finishing off any of them. One passage of play went through nine phases and would have been the best score of a season not short of highlights, had the final pass not been forward.

The grounding of the ball in a driven maul satisfied the touch judge, but not the referee, and another chance disappeared.

There is no doubt that had we taken an interval lead, then the second half would have been radically different.

Unfamiliar with chasing the game with time running out, a sense of panic came to dominate proceedings, together with a manic urgency to score with every piece of possession.

The result was that we were unable to string the phases together and fluency gave way to fragmentation as frustration overcame good sense. These qualities are rarely the foundation for success.

While defeat to the bottom team is a bitter blow, and a cruel disappointment at the end of a four game winning sequence, it is not a cue for despair. With better finishing or greater composure, it could all have been quite different.

The product may disappoint, but the process remains largely sound.