IN a game of extraordinary twists Mowden threatened to squander a 33-3 lead they opened through a blistering 15-minute spell.

Ampthill looked like pulling off mission impossible when it became 33-29 with 26 minutes left, but a crucial turning point allowed Mowden to extend their winning run to nine games.

It came when, having suffered a stream of penalties, they suddenly had one awarded in their favour and the excellent touch kick by fly half Warren Seals ended Ampthill’s dominance.

Mowden capitalised with their sixth try, a visiting player illegally took an opponent out at the restart and his yellow card spelt curtains for the team from Beds.

Despite a five-try burst worthy of a higher level than National One, there was a warning for Mowden that to aspire to greater things they still need a stronger platform. Against the more powerful teams the scrum remains a worry.

The scintillating rugby which produced four tries from their own half cannot be sustained without an element of control.

It was heady stuff, but when the bubble burst the stronger Ampthill pack began to chip away at the deficit through catch-and-drives following penalties to the corner.

Two tries in five minutes got the half-time deficit down to 33-15 and with Mowden’s rumbustious flanker Luca Petillo in the bin another try followed on the resumption.

It was all going one way as Mowden were penalised at three successive scrums, then again as the visitors drove for the line.

The fourth try inevitably followed and Mowden sent on Ralph Appleby for tight head Ignas Darkintis.

Ampthill also sent on a younger prop to replace one of their gnarled grinders and the turning point came when a scrum went down and the penalty was awarded to Mowden.

Without quite regaining their early fluency, they nailed down the win which had looked like being a landslide, sparked by a brilliant, side-stepping run from left winger Jake Henry.

It stemmed from turnover ball on the right and ended with Henry slipping a scoring pass to Rob Conquest for the lock to grab his fifth try in three games.

Seals, excellent in attack and defence, added the first of his five conversions in the absence of Garry Law.

Seals launched attacks from his own half, with a perfect pass then a delicate chip, for the next two tries.

Full back Jamie Barnard beat the last marker on the outside to score and Seb Ferreira slipped a backhand pass for Simon Uzokwe to gallop up the left touchline for the third.

Ferreira, the dual-registered Newcastle lock, went under the posts following a powerful burst by hooker Santiago Socino, then Uzokwe finished a superbly-controlled catch-and-drive for his 11th of the season.

But after five tries between the 13th and 28th minutes, it was to be a further 40 before No 8 Ollie Hodgson took an inside pass to go under the posts from close range.

If the yellow card which followed was not quite the final straw for Ampthill, a second one five minutes later certainly was.

Mowden sent on Argentinian hooker Gaston Demergasso for his debut and home product Joe Craggs, who scampered into the left corner for the seventh and final try.