By JON NEWCOMBE

IT’S a new era for Bedford after Geoff Irvine’s chairmanship officially came to an end this weekend after over 20 years’ of service.
Irvine and a consortium of businessmen came to the rescue of the club in October 1999, when, after a tumultuous six months under the ownership of Jefferson Lloyd International, its very existence had come under threat.
With Irvine at the helm, Bedford became a model of sustainability off the pitch and an attractive proposition on it, with the Blues playing an exciting brand of rugby under his longtime ally Mike Rayer, sti...