Both sides clearly had attacking intentions with the Bath hooker, Ward, making a good run but conceding a penalty when stopped and allowing Mehrtens to find touch with a long clearance.  Quins tried to move the ball wide but the final pass was forward and Bath had the scrum which Quins turned to regain the ball.  From the following scrum Bath gave away an unnecessary penalty as their flanker broke off early from the scrum to kick the ball which was still in the back row.  Mehrtens made no mistake with the kick and Quins led 0 – 3 after seven minutes.

A second penalty followed five minutes later as Bath went over the top at a ruck and Mehrtens added another three points.  Bath began to exert greater pressure on their visitors who had to defend strongly.  Then another good Bath attack led by league convert Chev Walker and Matt Perry took play deep into Quins’ twenty-two and Vermaak’s infringement at the ruck saw him shown a yellow card and Bath scored through Cozens’ successful kick to reduce the deficit to 3 – 6 after twenty minutes.

From the restart, Quins gained a lineout on the Bath twenty-two metre line.  From the throw the ball came off the top to Mehrtens who struck a fine drop goal from 35 metres to restore the six point gap.  A yellow card for Charlie Amesbury for a deliberate offside at a ruck, reduced Quins to thirteen men.  Bath immediately took advantage as their next attack created an overlap on the left and Cozens went over for Bath’s first try and added the conversion to give Bath the lead at 10 – 9 after 26 minutes.

The Quins forwards were dominating proceedings at the set piece and a good 25 metre rolling maul threatened the Bath line but an accidental offside allowed Bath to clear as Quins regained one man from the sin-bin.  Then a long clearance kick from Mehrtens was caught on the Bath twenty-two by Faamatuainu and the tall lock began a fast running counter attack which took him seventy metres through the Quins’ defenders and although he was eventually stopped he was able to pass out of the tackle to Travagli who duly completed the spectacular try under the posts.  Cozens added the conversion and Bath lead by 17 – 9.

Almost immediately from the restart Travagli set off on another long break which was eventually stopped five metres short of the Quins’ line by Tom Williams.  However, from the lineout which followed some good quick handling saw Ovens able to squeeze over for another try.  On this occasion Cozens failed to add the points, his kick being charged down!  22 – 9 to Bath was in part the penalty for two yellow cards.

With only a few minutes remaining in the half, Quins went back on the attack and a patient build-up, orchestrated by Mehrtens and guest scrum-half Albina put Simon Miall in space for a Quins’ try and Mehrtens’ kick reduced the Bath lead to 22 – 16.  But the half still had a couple of minutes remaining an a good break by Adam Thompstone saw him kick through but lose the chase for the ball.  The Bath defender cleared but the ball came out to Sherriff and in-field to Burgess who ran straight through the Bath defence from thirty metres to score another try and with the final conversion kick Quins led 22 -23 at half time.

Harlequins started the second half clearly intending to add to their score, but a run by Charlie Amesbury saw him put into touch well short of the line. A rolling maul was well stopped and possession turned over by Bath and another good attack was spoiled by a knock-on from the final pass.  A penalty on the Bath twenty-two, for offside, brought an uncharacteristic miss by Mehrtens as the ball hit the flag on the top of the left post and bounced away.  A similar kick two minutes later was also missed!

Ten minutes into the half, an injury to Sherriff saw him replaced by Tony Diprose whose calm and understated performance provided a potent reminder of his great ability at the back of the scrum.  Peter Cooke also replaced Lorne Ward.  Then from a catch and drive at an attacking line-out, Bath were pushed back for Jimmy Richards to score in the corner.  Mehrtens missed the conversion from wide out on the right and the lead had increased to 22 – 28.

Further substitutions for Quins saw So’oialo replace Albina and Nebett replace Croall.  Bath, too, were making substitutions.  As the half-hour mark approached, it was Bath who suddenly sparked into life. Mangeolles picked a superb line to cut through the Quins defence and put Hughes in for the try and with Cozens having a simple conversion kick Bath regained the lead at 29 – 28.

Quins went back on the attack and found good field position with the opportunity for a catch and drive.  When the drive was stopped they had the scrum and as that edged towards the line, a professional foul by Ward saw another yellow card brandished by referee Tim Beddows.  As Quins again drove the next scrum forward another offence saw the referee run under the posts for the penalty try to give Quins both the lead and the try bonus.  The successful conversion brought the score to 29 – 35.  

BATH: 15. M Perry (captain; Alford, 73) 14. M Mangeolles 20. C Walker (Doubleday, 41) 12. G Hughes 11. J Cuthbert (Messer, 63) 10. L Cozens 9. P Travagli 1. L Ovens (Parks, 41; Ovens, 75-77) 2. D Ward (sin-bin: 76) 3. G McCarthy (Jarvis, 41) 4. A Griffiths 5. J Faamatuainu (Gardner, 41; Clayton, 72) 6. J Miller 7. J Bentall (Simmons, 80+2) 8. C Goodman (Brooker, 41).
Replacements: S Alford, J Doubleday, S Simmons, L Messer, A Jarvis, D Parks, C Brooker, C Gardner, A Clayton.

HARLEQUINS: 15. T Williams 14. A Thompstone 13. T Masson 12. G Harder 11 C Amesbury (sin-bin: 25-35) 10. A Mehrtens 9. M Albina (So’oialo, 60) 1. A Croall (Nebbett, 65) 2. J Richards 3. L Ward (Cook, 50) 4. G Robson 5. S Miall 6. P Burgess 7. L Sherriff (captain; Diprose, 50) 8. H Vermaak (sin-bin: 19-30).
Replacements: P Cook, D Millard, R Nebbett, T Diprose, O Boggis, S Jewell, S So’oialo, V Comney.

Referee: T Beddows

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