BURY, true to form, dragged one's emotions along a roller coaster, one minute ascending the highs of brilliance and inventiveness, the next slipping into a trough of ineptitude that would do no credit to a side composed of partially-sighted baboons.

Bury started brightly enough, even though they spent most of the first ten minutes in their own half. Their defence seemed secure, but it seemed inevitable that victory would be theirs as they were up against an ageing pack and a threequarter line which, though solid in defence, lacked both flair and pace.

However, the home side were to open the scoring after 10 minutes when Bury centre Sean Tippett was penalised for not rolling away from the ball after making a tackle.

The Bedians full back landed a fine conversion from some 35 metres out.

This jarred Bury into life and they produced a try five minutes later after some good work by Richard Found in the second row back inside his own 10 metre line.

It allowed Tippett to make a break and draw the opposing wing and full back to him, releasing Mark Fielding, who just avoided the touchline as he scored a fine try in the right-hand corner.

Bury spent the next 15 minutes camped in the Old Bedians' half and were unlucky not to notch two more tries after good work by flanker John Westwood and prop Jason Bunce.

Old Bedians have not changed their game plan in the last ten years and it was naive of Bury to allow them to score with some seven minutes remaining of the first half with a classic move which they employ at every opportunity.

A good catch from the lineout at 10 metres out, pull the ball down, set up the driving maul and roll off for the try in the corner.

With two minutes of the first half remaining, Bury conceded a penalty some 30 metres out for not releasing the ball after a tackle. The Bedians full back again did the honours, giving the home side a six-point advantage at the turn.

Having listened to the half-time talk, and learnt nothing, the observations from chairman of selectors, Chris Caloe, could have given Bury the key to winning the game.

These were that fast, open rugby played wide against an unimaginative side would result in victory.

Bury took this on board and started the scoring with an early penalty after the restart from stand-off Ian Webb.

This was followed ten minutes later by a try, ultimately taken over the line by vice-captain John Westwood.

Bury should have capitalised on this and driven the nails into Old Bedians' coffin, but, with some ten minutes remaining, the Old Bedians threequarters made several deep incursions into the Bury 22 and only a couple of touch-finding kicks from full back Bernard Robinson enabled Bury to clear their lines.

Bury now decided to make wholesale changes to the structure of their side as time was slipping away and it was imperative to score.

Matt Boyd moved from centre to scrum half with Ian Webb going to centre. Keith Webb came on for his first appearance of the season and went to stand-off. Mike Livesey and Steve Boyd went off and Sammy Kelly came on to play on the left wing.

At the next set scrum the Bedians blind side wing received the ball on the short side and scored in the corner to give his team a one-point advantage.

This seemed to knock the stuffing out of Bury. They were unable to rally, even though any score would have done.

The front row cannot be criticised however. Having taken five balls against the head, the usual indifferent line-out performance and lack of inspiration from the threequarters -- apart from the two isolated incidents where tries resulted -- contributed to the demise.

BURY: Shimmins, Whitehead, Bunce, Kennedy, Found, Westwood, Smithson, Blenkharn, Livesey, I Webb, Tippett, M Boyd, Fielding, S Boyd, Robinson. Replacements: Kelly, K Webb.

Tomorrow Broughton are due at Radcliffe Road (kick-off 2.30pm).