A blustery but dry day saw Burnham’s 2nd team travelling to local rivals Bridgwater and Albion RFC.
Burnham fielded a youthful side, promising pace and excitement as long as the wind didn’t stifle their ambition, Bridgwater fielded a less mobile heavier pack and an experienced back line.
The early exchanges saw Burnham’s pack scrummaging well, asserting themselves against a much heavier Bridgy pack, unfortunately constant complaints by Bridgwater’s “experienced” front row drew the attention of the referee and questionable interpretation of scrummaging law followed. Burnham’s pack continued to dominate pushing the Bridgwater pack backwards at almost every scrum.
After a settling in period for Burnham’s young team, good first phase ball at scrum and lineout time put them on the front foot and it wasn’t long before their ability to attack quickly and support well paid off. Some great continuity and powerful running, seeing Burnham cross the Bridgwater try line several times in the first half.
Burnham’s flyhalf, used the wind well in the first half turning Bridgwater regularly to allow Burnham’s defense to put pressure on Bridgwater in their own half.
Unfortunately Burnham’s desire to spread the ball wide and to offload in contact lead to some handling errors in the windy conditions and frustration set in at times, this led to some unnecessary penalties which kept Bridgwater in the game.
The second half saw Bridgwater’s flyhalf using the wind to good effect, relieving Burnham’s pressure on the Bridgwater 22 regularly. Burnham became increasingly frustrated by a lack of consistency in decisions around the ruck, giving away penalties that allowed Bridgwater to clear their lines several times.
Burnham’s bemused pack continued to struggle to meet the referees scrummaging requirements and at times player frustration saw a string of decisions go against Burnham at scrum time.
Despite a Bridgwater resurgence in the second half, Burnham held on to their lead, adding two further tries to their tally and the final whistle saw Burnham victors by 39 – 26. Burnham worked hard for their 7 tries and 2 conversions and despite frustrations during the match, a young team produced a great effort for a well deserved victory against their local rivals.
Burnham’s 2nds play Martock RFC at home on Saturday 04 November 2017, kick off 2:30pm.