Brilliant Brentwood booked a place in the second round of the Rugby League Challenge Cup with a 34-24 win over Bedford Tigers last weekend.

The club were making their debut in the prestigious competition and, with local media and the BBC covering their first-round tie, players and club officials knew it was a special day in Brentwood’s history.

After a team breakfast and shirt presentations the match was soon upon them, with the two teams sizing each other up in the opening 10 minutes.

Brentwood took the lead through young half-back George Harkins, but Bedford then equalised before Harry Pyke and Callum Whitcombe - with an outrageous chip and chase - scored in the corner to put the home side into a deserved 14-6 lead at half-time.

The second half proved to be a nerve-jangling affair with Brentwood exerting their authority on the game with Ryan Whitcombe intercepting a Bedford pass and running the length of the field for a well deserved try.

Two further tries from Cody Chamberlin and Pyke extended the lead to 30-6 in what most thought was now an unassailable advantage, but Bedford had other ideas.

With both Brentwood halves leaving the field the momentum shifted and the visitors now looked the more dominant side, running good lines and looking to off-load at every opportunity.

It wasn’t long before this pressure began to tell and Bedford went in for a deserved try and they scored 18 points in the space of 18 minutes to bring the match to 30-24 with just three minutes remaining.

A partisan home crowd was wondering if Brentwood had let the game slip, before Pyke popped up and scored another try in the 78th minute to complete his hat-trick.

Club coach Anthony Sherwood said: “It still hasn’t sunk in yet but we now have to lift ourselves for the next round. Bedford are a solid SCL outfit with bags of experience so to despatch them was incredibly pleasing.

"We are all still learning and keen to develop so the next game will be another lesson, but irrespective of the result we’re just enjoying the magic of the Cup."

Club President Carl Horsman added: “The players really delivered on the pitch and even though they gave us all a very nervous five minutes at the end, they can be extremely proud of their efforts.

"We now see Wath Brow Hornets visiting Brentwood on February 25 for what will be a very tough encounter. Wath Brow are one of the top amateur sides in the country and we look forward to welcoming them after their long trip down from Cumbria."

The club will be holding a Presidents lunch before the game and anybody wishing to participate can contact the club on info@brentwoodrlfc.co.uk.