First Team Match Reports
Match Reports 2017-2018 Season - First XV
Burnham on Sea 38 vs Truro 27
Fast,furious and finally Burnham produced a display that we know they are capable of. Against a side that were physically much larger, Burnham’s defensive efforts were eventually,what sealed the match for them.
Kiwi Muskett led the way with his no nonsense tackling inspiring his teammates to step up to the mark.
Within the first 4 minutes Sammy Lewis sent a speculative grubber kick behind Truro’s back line and then raced forward to scramble over the line and touch down out wide on the left wing. Tim Piper stepped up for the conversion. Never any doubt.7-0
5 minutes later after many successful phases the ball was sent out wide for Felix Grandfield to round the last man and cross the line. Piper duly obliged.14-0
15 minutes later Truro at last scored a pushover try with their much heavier pack.14-5.J ust before half-time Burnham were awarded a penalty on Truro’s 10 metre line converted by Piper with consummate ease.17-5. Halftime.
From the restart Truro showed their mettle and after exerting pressure on Burnham’s forwards they rumbled over the line.17-10.
3 minutes later Burnham retaliated when Piper burst through the middle before releasing Sam Everett to streak under the posts. Piper added the extra.24-10
Back came Truro, good pressure and movement resulting in a try out wide.24-15.
Burnham kept up their defensive effort, gaining another turnover, a quick ball out to Pike, and 3successful phases allowing Adam Peters to shoot through a gap to score under the posts.31-15.
5 minutes later after a good lineout ball, followed by smart offloading enabled Piper to drift through before finding a marauding Jude Donnelly sprinting under the posts.38-15.
However Truro were not finished yet snatching 2 tries and a conversion in the last few minutes.
Final score 38-27.
A stellar performance by Burnham, especially in the defence. department.
Man of the match Kiwi Muskett.
Well done Burnham.
Last game of the season is away to Kingsbridge. All welcome to join the bus leaving the BASC Ground 11am.
Burnham on Sea 10 vs Paignton 39
A disappointing result for Burnham as it more or less from confirms Burnham’s relegation
From Western Counties.Paignton took an early lead to 5 nil up but then for the next 20 minutes it was all Burnham.Firstly a try by Tim Piper,who spotted a gap on the blind side,a subtle dummy enabled to score out wide with him then converting to make it 7-5.Shortly followed by a Piper penalty.Unfortunately he then suffered a calf injury and without his kicking astute knowledge,from then on Burnham looked in disarray,eventually conceding a further 5 tries so that Paignton ran out 10-39 winners.
A few bright spots namely,Sam Everitt,Ross McKechan and Richard Muskett battling along in his usual fashion.
Sidmouth 40 vs Burnham on Sea 10
Burnham travelled to the south coast with a full 18 players,but unfortunately,met a side who were on their own a game.By and large Burnham put in a committed performance,only it wasn’t quite good enough.Looking ahead Burnham have a good crop of youngsters who will stand them in good stead for the future.
Sidmouth ran in 6 tries with Burnham replying with a well worked try for Scott Havercroft to finish,converted by Tim Piper,who also kicked a penalty goal.
Good effort Burnham,but I’m afraid no cigar.
Burnham on Sea 13 vs St.Austell 24
A spirited display by Burnham against a team 11 places above them saw them robbed of a bonus point in the dying moments of the game.Burnham started with an intent and after 3 minutes they were 5-0 up following a catch and drive from 20 metres out and it took their opponents 15 minutes to shake off their shackles and hit back in the same fashion.5-7.Unfortunately for Burnham a move between backs and forwards was intercepted allowing St.Austell to score against the run of play.
Burnham pulled the score back with a penalty,by Scott Havercroft, to make it 8-12 at halftime,but another mishandling by Burnham,yet again,gave St.Austell the chance to pounce upon thr error and score under the posts.8-19.
Burnham fought back and following a successful lineout and maul,new father to be,Richard Muskett popped up on the blind side to score in the corner.13-19.
With a fraction of time left St.Austell sent a high kick across field,neatly gathered by the winger.to collect their bonus point and deny Burnham theirs.
Burnham showed that they can perform against much higher placed clubs if they can eliminate the mistakes which cost them tries.
Well done Burnham.
Burnham 12 Falmouth 28
After a heavy rain storm the teams headed out onto a pitch which was at best, slippery!
Within the first 10 minutes of the game Burnham lost one of their key players Gowan, to a neck injury. Adam Peters took up the mantle and got stuck in.
In the next phase of the game Scoot Beard was yellow carded for a handless tackle in the Burnham 22 which gave a penalty try to Falmouth 0-7.
Within the next five minutes Burnham would have conceded another try except for a knock on as Falmouth slid over the Burnham line.They then had a breakaway from a Falmouth scrum scoring to take the score 0-14.
With Scott Beard back on , from a 22metre lineout in the Burnham half, Burnham were given a penalty but they lost possession and Falmouth broke through their defence to score again 0-21.
Then in the 36 minute an interception in Burnahams 22 let Falmouth score another try.0-26
Then from a kick deep into Burnhams half which was fumbled, pounced on by Falmouth to score 0-31.
The conditions were hampering Burnhams open style of play and by thei time the pitch looked a bit swampish!
The oranges at half time seemed to revive Burnham and in the first few minutes Burnham put the pressure on. Again and again Falmouths defence proved inpenetrable as Burnham did all the donkey work to get into their 22 and were beaten back.
Then Burnham lost a player to a yellow card.This didn’t deter the home team who through great play by Tom Stevens,pulling in the Falmouth defence led to Ryan Beard going over the line for the first try for Burnham..
Unfortunately due to being a player down Falmouth quickly replied with a try of their own.
Back to a full compliment Burnham continued to put on the pressure and were rewarded with a penalty try for their efforts in the last few minutes of the game.
The forwards continued to work hard but gained little reward.
Hats off to Falmouths defending.
The score didn’t really reflect the hard work and effort put in by the Burnham team who in very difficult and muddy conditions were unrecogniable by the end of the game.
Well done lads, onwards and upwards.
Neil Mcken and Sally Flack
Burnham on Sea 19 vs Crediton 10
Burnham,at last,secured a much needed win in a thrilling match at the BASC ground.Burnham started the game,with possibly their strongest side yet,in a confident manner and after being awarded 3 successive penalties,with their scrum dominating the set piece,the ball was whipped out to Tim Piper to scramble over on the blind side.5-0.
Directly from the kick off,Burnham caught and then went through many phases before Piper popped on the blind side,creating enough space before releasing Scott Beard to race home from 20 metres.Piper converted.12-0.
However,Crediton were not to denied and within the next 15 minutes they exerted constant pressure on Burnham,resulting in 2 unconverted tries scored by Phil Holmes and Dan Yeandle.12-10.
For 20 minutes of the second half neither side would capitulate untin Burnham secured a lineout inside Crediton's 22,completed 4 successful phases before Piper was adjudged to have been held up.From the following scrum,Burnham's power created an opportunity for McKechan to pick up and then send Sammy Lewis into the gap to create,ultimately the winning try.Piper converted.19-10.
The rest of the match Crediton tried their hardest but Burnham's defence was sound and their attack was narrowly denied a bonus point 4th try.
A pulsating game from both sides and a credit to the standard of rugby in this league.Burnham have got the ability to pull themselves out of their dilemma providing they can play the same way for the rest of the season.
Well done Burnham.
Burnham on Sea 30 vs Torquay Athletic 19
Burnham produced a sterling performance in claiming their second win but,unfortunately,still remain bottom of the table,where 7 sides are seperated by just 5 points.With the club fielding a high proportion of youngsters this was no mean feat.From the start Burnham,s intentions were clear,to play at a high tempo and keep Torquay on the back foot and after 10 minutes their opponents were caught offside and Tim Piper promptly slotted the penalty.3-0.Burnham kept up the pressure but it took them another 15 minutes before Sam Everett drove up the middle before adroitly finding Scott Beard steaming up on his outside,timing his pass,enabling him to outstrip the defence and run in under the posts.Piper duly obliged.10-0.
Not to be outdone,Torquay executed their own method of pressure,culminating in their winger scoring out wide for a converted try.10-7.Just before halftime,Torquay were caught offside within range of Piper's exemplary kicking 13-7.Halftime.Second half Burnham kept up the intensity and within a few minutes a smart move whipped the ball out to Lee Vaughan go round the outside,evade the fullback and score close to.Piper converted.20-7.By this time Burnham had the bit between their teeth and after a scrum inside Torquay's 22,followed by quick recycling,Finn Duffus charged through to score next to the posts,duly converted.27-7.
Torquay then made some changes bringing on the heavy brigade,probably a combined weight of over 60 stone,giving them the opportunity to change tactics,constantly allowing them to successfully pick and go and after gaining good field position from a scrum.they went wide to cross the line.Successfully converted.27-14.
Burnham did not panic and even though they were conceding a lot of weight,they managed to get a good drive in a scrum,force Torquay's front row to go up,whereupon Piper neatly curled the penalty inside the post to put Burnham 3 scores clear again.30-14.
Whilst Torquay persevered,they only managed to score an unconverted try right at the end,leaving Burnham worthy winners 30-19.
Many good things to say after their last league game.Scrummaging good,open play tidier and quicker tackling, more committment and finally 80 minutes play.
Mentions in despatches,Kiwi Muskett whose constant running into the opposition gained Burnham yardage every time,Piper,whose probing and running the backs and forwards kept Torquay guessing,the back row were likened unto a wolfpack in their appetite for both attack and defence,especially Sam Everett whose claiming of the ball from every Torquay kickoff,his willingness to take on the opposition and the strength of his tackling earned him the Man of the Match.
Well done Burnham.
Tiverton 10 vs Burnham on Sea 6
Burnham travelled to Tiverton to try and ease their position in the league,unfortunately it was not to be.Whilst they had good spells of possession they were unable to convert these into points,allowing Tiverton to cross the line twice,both of which were unconverted.Piper managed to respond with 2 penalty goals but Burnham were plagued with handling errors and at times poor tackling.
One can only hope that their home form is going to get them out of this quandry.
Clevedon 59 vs Burnham on Sea 7 (Cup)
Burnham travelled to North Somerset to take on a team in a higher league with 11 teenage players in the squad,all of whom performed admirably well,givivg their all.If Burnham can keep a good percentage of these lads,along with the other young players still in their early twenties,then the future looks bright.Whilst the scoreline suggests that Burnham was overwhelmed,3 of the tries were interceptions when Burnham were pressing Clevedon's line. Debuts from Ethan Hill, Jude Donnelly, Birkan Gunduz, Jarod Neill, Archie Neale, James Havercroft and Thomas Harris, who also scored the try, Converted by Piper. Very entertaining and nobody shirked their responsibility. Well done Burnham.
Paignton 24 vs Burnham on Sea 19
In an entertaining match this was,as they say,a game of 2 halves.Paignton winning the first half 14-0 and Burnham winning the second 10-19.Burnham,unfortunately produced a rather lacklustre performance over the first 40 minutes,rarely ,apart from scrummaging,showing what they were actually capable of.Both of Paignton's converted tries were caused by slipshod tackling and somewhat desultory all round play.Howevar,after a sound talking to they came out with the bit fully between their teeth.
From the off they pressurised Paignton's defence,easing them further and further back eventually allowing Ward to place a shrewd kick behind the cover giving Conor Howard the opportunity to display his strength and speed,burst through 2 defenders.gather the ball and touchdown. 14-5.Following a crucial lineout penalty,Burnham's quick movement in both rucks and mauls,gaining ground enabling Tom Wall to stretch his lanky frame and cross the line.Ward converted.14-12.
With 5 minutes to go Burnham lost possess giving Paignton the chance to create and execute enough forward momentum to score out wide and then convert.21-12.
Burnham were not to be denied and almost immediately were awarded a scrum,swift hands out to Ward who executed a neat runaround move before releasing Lee Vaughan to burst through and run in from 40 metres,converted by Ward.21-19
Unfortunately for Burnham they transgressed in the final minutes and conceded a penalty 24-19.
A monumentous effort in the second half and we must take into account that by and large Burnham have a very young side,still learning what it is like to play at this level,Scrummaging was good but they must learn at the breakdown to clear out the opposition instead of scrambling for the ball,however apart from that one can only feel that this side can only get better.
Well done Burnham.
Next match Burnham face St.Ives at home kick off at 2-30pm.
Burnham on Sea 36 vs Sidmouth 17
At last Burnham produced the performance that we had patiently waited to happen.Scrummaging tight and driving forward,constant interplay between backs and forwards and good lineout work provided a more than adequate supply of quality ball.Burnham won the toss and elected to play against a stiff breeze and after just 3 minutes they transgressed and gave an opportunity for the Sidmouth 10 to show what a good kicker he was.0-3
7 minutes later Burnham set up a positive play between pack and backs resulting in a move triggered by Piper that allowed to produce a sleight of hand to put Richard Muskett in under the posts.Piper converted.7-3.
Sidmouth struck back through the prolific boot of their 10 to move back into the lead 7-9.
However just before halftime after a spell of pressure by Burnham,the forwards took a scrum against the head,went out the blindside and quick hands so that Tim Piper took the pass back inside to dive over in the corner.12-9.Halftime.
Just 4 minutes into the secopnd half Burnham were awarded a penalty just inside Sidmouth's half,up stepped to split the posts from 48 metres.15-9.Sidmouth struck back when Burnham were not back 10 metres.15-12.
Withinthe next 20 minutes Burnham's constant pressure produced 2 pushover tries,both claimed by Ross McKechan and both converted by Piper.29-12.
Staight from the kickoff Sidmouth were fooled by the wind,allowed the ball to bounce awkwardly,enabling Muskett to pounce on the bounce before releasing Piper who subsequently slipped the ball to a marauding Sam Everett to score close to the posts .Piper added the extras and Burnham were home and hosed.36-12.
Just on the stroke of time Sidmouth ,following a spell of pressure,were awarded a penalty lineout and managed to cross the line out wide.36-17.Full time.
A most satisfactory performance from Burnham,showing that when they put their minds to it good things happen.
Mon of the match was Chris Warner.
Well done Burnham.
Burnham on Sea 17 vs Wadebridge 17
Burnham at last showed what they can do.Wadebridge arrived at the BASC ground in 4th place in the league.However in the first half Burnham were the only team in it,with notable first XV debuts from Scott Beard Sam Everitt and Mitchell Kingston.Burnham started at a furious pace displaying their intent from the off and within a short space of time they were awarded a penalty in the red zone.Having already shown that their scrummaging was superior to the Camels,they elected to scrum for the penalty.From this position they shunted their way forward providing Ross McKechan the opportunity to touchdown.5-0.Unfortunately a few minutes later Burnham lost skipper McKechan after a head collision,requiring 7 stitches,and at the same time losing Muskett temporarily.On came Kingston and Tom Wall and Burnham's tenacity and committment carried on with determination,proving that these days it is an 18 man game.
Burnham's tackling,scrummaging and support play continued in the same vein and eventually Burnham produced a flowing move,with both backs and forwards,culminating in Pike attacking his wing before releasing a marauding Sam Everitt on his inside to storm over the line.Ward converted.12-0.
Just before halftime,Burnham yet again set out with memerising support play and awareness until Scott Beard stepped up to skip and swerve his way through,thereby proving the old theory,if you are good enough you are old enough.17-0.
Disappointingly,Burnham displayed their other side in the second half,firstly,discipline giving away an unneccessary penalty,which Wadebridge gratefully accepted,17-3,secondly,poor tackling,going in too high,allowing Wadebridge's No.8,who was a very good player,to create a big enough hole for their hooker to stroll round the outside and score close to.17-10.Finally on the final move of the game Wadebridge spotted a gap left by Burnham,astutely kicked forward,enabling thei winger to touchdown in the corner.Up stepped their standoff to slot over the conversion to allow them to get away with a draw.Heartbreaking for Burnham as for all those watching as they all knew Burnham were the better side on the day.On the bright side Burnham were able to give a glimpse of the future with 13 of the squad 24 and under.
Well done Burnham.A magnificent effort.
Captains report
Really positive performance today fellas. That first half of rugby was one of the best I've seen at the club in the last few years. A powerful scrum, an efficient lineout, hard runners and solid defence. We completely dominated the half and played some quality rugby. In the second half, Wadebridge had their spells but some of the defence was still solid and the work rate was generally very good. I thought Tom Stevens was quality today and led from the front, when myself and kiwi were off. We were robbed in the last play of the game by a jammy try and a class kick, which prevented us from getting the first win of the season. In those final minutes, we needed to show a bit more composure to see the game out but we didn't. It was class to see so many young fellas put on the jersey today. Mitchell Kingston, Scott Beard and Samuel Everett were immense today and thoroughly impressed with their work rate and skill sets! Well done boys and welcome to first team rugby.
No training Tuesday but we will be having a shorter session on Thursday from 7pm to around 8pm, before holding a players meeting. Please make the effort to train and/or attend the meeting so we can discuss the season so far and make plans for the next stint of games, up until Christmas.
Thanks again to all the supporters , who continue to cheer us on. Our next game is on the 21st October in St Austell and it would be good to get as many people on the bus as possible.
Ross Cameron
Falmouth 25 vs Burnham on Sea 5
A disappointing result for Burnham which unfortunately did not reflect on Burnham's performance.Their scrummaging was good,lineouts were adequate and all round general play was encouraging.However but for some error strewn and dubious refereeing Burnham could easily have come away from Cornwall with a result.Discipline was still a problem,not all correct decisions,costing Burnham 18 points,but otherwise one try apiece,Louie Ward scoring for Burnham.Burnham need to solve the problem of going away with insufficient players and also having to rely on players with ongoing injury diffioculties.One feels extremely sympathetic with those that travelled on the long journey,only to be rewarded with the poor refereeing that they received.Well done Burnham and l am sure when Falmouth travel back to Burnham and even they were apologising for the control of the game,they will be able to exact some revenge.
Man of the match Tom Stevens
Burnham on Sea 10 vs Devonport Services 35
Burnham succumbed to Devonport with all their usual problems.Lack of discipline,3 yellow cards equalling 30 minutes of time with 14 men,far too many penalties giving their prolific kicker many opportunities to drive Burnham back into the red zone and finally their ineptitude at lineouts cost them 3 tries.However,on the bright side,Burnham in the second 20 minutes of the first half were,by far,the better team.Louie Ward controlling and bossing the game,taking the chance from a swiftly taken penalty,spotting the gap and sqeezing over and then converting the try,as well as notching a penalty goal.During this period scrummaging was good on both put ins,rucking and mauling were efficient and we all thought that Burnham had turned the corner. Half time 10-12.Burnham attacked straight from the kickoff,unfortunately,lost the ball,then conceded a penalty and their second yellow card,enabling Devonport to score their second rolling maul try.This pattern continued throughout the rest of the match,allowing Devonport to create another rolling maul before releasing their backs to score out wide and finally following up with a drop goal from the productive boot of their standoff and to rub salt into the wound,Burnham were penalised with their third yellow card and on the stroke of full time,once again the boot of West landed another monstrous kick.Neither coach or captain felt there was anything further to add.
Crediton 16 vs Burnham on Sea 0
Unfortunately,another disappointing result for Burnham,even though for the first half Burnham were the better side.Clearing and positional kicks were effective and for the last 15 minutes or so,Burnham spent most of the time in their opponent's half,playing against the slope.
However,in the second half Burnham reverted to their old problems of lack of discipline,poor communication and,seemingly,indifference,conceding 2 penalty goals and 2 unconverted tries.Final score 16-0.At this present moment of time Burnham appear to be having trouble in keeping their concentration and also,as yet have been unable to field their strongest team.They have showed in all 3 games that for a good length of time that they can more than match their opponents.Let's hope that we can soon solve these problems.
Burnham on Sea 13 vs Chard 31
Burnham were given an emphatic lesson in scrummaging and rolling mauls by Chard,costing them precious possession and territory.Burnham started well with a quick penalty after Chard were caught offside.3-0.Burnham then were repeatedly let down by lack of discipline costing them 2 tries from Chard,both from rolling mauls after penalty lineouts.3-12.On approaching the half hour mark Burnham put together a flowing move with all involved until finally un leashing Matt Love to race away and score in the corner.8-12.Ten minutes later, after Burnham conceded too many penalties on their own goal line, the referee awarded Chard a penalty try.8-19,followed by a rolling maul that gave them their bonus point,on the stroke of half time.8-24.
At the start of the second half,Burnham pulled up their socks,started to produce the swift rucks and mauls,that were their trademark in the pre-season games,enabling Ash Cutter to pick up from the base,produce a couple of telling handoffs before bursting through tacklesuntil free to run in from 40 metres.13-24.Burnham stayed in the game for the next 35 minutes until Chard scored another pushover try to close out the match.13-31.Final score.
Coach Kevin Innals said,a very disappointing day,we were totally dominated by Chard's forwards,especially in the scrum
.We did not help ourselves by the lack of accuracy and drcision making in open play,which often ended up in more scrums,loss of possession and field position,which was part of the game we should have dominated.We will be looking for some good sessions this week to prepare for Crediton.
Captain McKechan said that we welcomed a well organised Chard side to the pit on Saturday and enjoyed a hard fought contest.Unfortunately for usthe Chard set piece was lethaland the used it effectively to secure the win.Beyond the scrum,we worked hard in the loose and nullified their attacking options.The only place to improve is the training paddock and we will be working hard to prepare for our next game against Crediton.
Burnham on Sea 15 vs Kingsbridge 20
Burnham started their season with a disappointing result,but at the same time encouraging.Kingsbridge flew out of the blocks and within the first few minutes,after a series of phases they crossed the line.0-5.
Burnham's old favourite,ill-discipline,then cost them a further 3 points when they were penalised for a high tackle.0-8.
15 minutes later they lost Duffus to a yellow card,quickly followed by the referee awarding Kinsbridge a penalty try after Burnham conceded their third penalty in the red zone.0-15.Half time.
Right from the start of the second half,after an inspirational half time chat from the coach,Burnham noticably changed their style of play and upped the tempo,so much so that they created good lineout ball,followed by a break by Pike,resulting in a smart pickup by Louie Ward to cross the line.5-15.
Burnham kept up the pressure,giving Ward the chance to time a well judged pass to Muskett,who stormed up the middle,followed by 3 phases of ongoing mauling enabled Piper to release McKen,then on to Lewis who released Matt Love to score in the corner.10-15.
5 minutes later Kingsbridge's clearing penalty kick,missed touch,adroitly caught by Pike who set off on a searing run before sending off Vaughan on a Barn storming run,nearly reaching the line,but when stopped he popped the ball for Chris Warner to cross the line.15-15.
Just before the end Kingsbridge secured good lineout ball before fashioning a successful rolling maul to score in the corner.Final score 15-20.
Coach Innalls said that after some good pre-season match performances it looked like Burnham got stage fright as they let Kinsbridge take the game by the scruff of the neck,with their forwards dominating the gain line and putting Burnham's defence under pressure,also Burnham made it easier for them with some poor first up tackling and poor communication.Second half Burnham came out and played to the style that they had been working on,which subsequently worked well for Burnham.But for a poor lineout at the end,Burnham had put themselves in a position to win the match.
Many positives from the match that will stand Burnham in good stead in the future.Debuts for Finn Duffus,Louie Ward,Connor Howard and George Prewett.Man of the match for Burnham was Chris Warner.
Well done Burnham.
Burnham on Sea 17 vs Yeovil 0
Burnham concluded their pre season matches successfully,winning 3 out of 3.From the start of the match displayed their solidarity in defence before they began to exert their own efforts culminating in a pushover try claimed by Chris Warner. 10 minutes a similar result after a series of mauls with,yet again,a Warner try.Notable efforts from Stevens and Howard in the tackling department.Half time.12-0.Burnham kept up their confidence,no matter which 15 were playing
,and some play by James Wright saw him charge down a clearing kick,follow up and successfully ground the ball.Even with several players missing on the night,Burnham showed that this season,especially with the advent of some of the development squad step[ping up,that they will be a force to be reckoned with.However,skipper Ross McKechan stated,along with coach Kevin Inalls,that they must keep up the training intensity and their fitness levels.Well done Burnham and we all look forward to the start of the season.
Winscombe 0 vs Burnham on Sea 17
Burnham travelled to Winscombe for their second warm-up match,this one against a team who play at the same level.Debut players for this match were,our 2 Kiwi boys, Louie Ward and Finn Duffus as well as Jack Bennett.
From the start Burnham showed their attacking intentions to the extent that the referee awarded a penalty try after Winscombe had thrice transgressed close to the line.7-0.Even though Burnham had the advantage of the slope they were unable to add to this score in the first half,including missing 2 simple opportunities through handling errors.
Playing uphill in the second half only seemed to increase Burnham's deterimation, mettle and commitment.Destructive tackling stopped Winscombe heavier forwards from producing constructive progression until eventually Burnham rumbled forward enabling them to release Finn Duffus to storm over the line proving that he will be a very useful addition to Burnham's squad.
Twenty minutes later after, weathering Winscombe's gathering momentum,Burnham worked their way back up the field and after considerable pressure exerted by the scrum,Duffus picked up from the base,galloped towards the line,made the the ball available so that Sam wall was ablt to collect and crash over.17=0.
Try as they might Winscombe were unable to penetrate Burnham's exemplary defence.Every man played his part.Notable movement and invention from Ward,another useful addition,linking well with his outside man,kicking when needed and as any Kiwi of note tackled well above his weight.
Final score 0-17.
A solid performance by Burnham,especially in defence, but showing that they can fashion attractive attacking play as well.
Well done Burnham and we look forward to this forthcoming season.
Burnham on Sea vs Morganians
Thursday 10th august
Burnham's first warm up match of the season,showed that their preparation,enthusiasm and ability to take on coach Kevin Innes ideas were there for all to see.Mobility and fitness were paramount and with just 3 weeks to the start of the season they already look to be progressing for the visit of Kingsbridge.
Notable debuts from Ryan Sheppard,Stuart Theobald and especially 17 year old Scott Beard proving that the work done in the Development Squad is beginning to pay off.
With the advent of the 2 KIwi boys,Burnham's fuiture is looking considerably promising.
All who played showed their eagerness,strength and agility,with the try total of 11 to 2 emphasising their domination.However credit must be given to Morganians in their attitude, under new coach Hancock,but Burnham must keep up this level of intensity for their next trial game against Winscombe,who now play at the same level as Burnham.
Burnham's power,pace and awareness were the key to there success in this match,now they must take the next step up.Scrummaging and close quarter work were an improvement,thereby enabling the backs to display their dexterity and speed.
Well done Burnham,we look forward to the next match.Against Winscombe away kick off 7pm.
Click here to see match reports from 2016-2017 season
