Rugby Union: Bedford Blues full back Mark Atkinson delighted with Northampton ...

Mark Atkinson scores the first of his three tries. Picture: Nigel Rudgard

Northampton Saints may have proven too strong for the Bedford Blues in the end, but Friday was a night that Mark Atkinson will not forget in a hurry after his stunning first-half hat-trick.

Atkinson’s treble from the unusual position of full back gave the Blues a 21-19 half-time lead in their opening pre-season friendly before the Premiership side’s greater strength in depth told as they dominated the second half, eventually winning 45-21.

But it was a great chance for Mike Rayer’s boys to throw themselves against top-class opposition and it was a contest from which they came out with a lot of credit.

Atkinson said: “That doesn’t happen very often for me – maybe it was from having a different number on my back!

“I’m usually the person who makes the breaks without finishing them off so I’m really happy that I was able to run through a Premiership defence a few times.

“It was always going to be tough and when we saw their team we thought ‘oh, they’re coming to play,’ but it was good fun.

“We were a little rusty to start with, but once we found our feet we started attacking them and they realised it wasn’t going to be as easy as perhaps they thought it was going to be so we’re happy with ourselves.”

It was also a night memorable for a trademark hit by England lock Courtney Lawes on new Blues fly-half Mike Le Bourgeois, who pulled on a Bedford shirt for the first time.

Despite being shaken at first, the summer signing from Jersey immediately endeared himself to the Goldington Road faithful by launching himself back into the action.

With his head thankfully cleared after that abrupt introduction he said: “I’m just happy to have got up from it!

“It was just one of those where I didn’t see him coming, but thankfully I was able to take it.

“The boys did well in the first half, although we ran out of steam after we took a few guys off.

“We put them to the test but this was more of a learning curve for us and there’s always room for improvement.”

Rugby Union: Bedford Blues full back Mark Atkinson delighted with Northampton ...