Burton Under 17’s travelled to BURNTWOOD RFC in their final Staffordshire County League Fixture of the 2013/14 Season
SQUAD LIST
Benjamin, Cole, Dealtry, Finney, Furner, Handy, Hulland, Jarrett-Broberg, Marshall, Mason, McKendrick, Millington, Roden, Sharp, Sturgess, Valentine, Welsford, Williams.
STARTING LINE-UP
1. Loose Head Prop – Lewis Sturgess
2. Hooker – Max McKendrick (Captain)
3. Tight Head Prop – Cameron Handy
4. 2nd Row – Taylor Dealtry
5. 2nd Row – Curtis Marshall
6. Blind Side Flanker – Ben Hulland
7. Open Side Flanker – Max Williams
8. Number 8 – Jon Jarrett-Broberg
9. Scrum Half – George Roden
10. Fly Half – Taylor Millington
11. Left Wing – Ryan Sharp
12. Inside Centre – Tom Benjamin
13. Outside Centre – Sam Valentine
14. Right Wing – Sheridan Cole
15. Full Back – Lewis Mason
MATCH REPORT
After 2 competitive fixtures both narrowly won by Burton, The Crofter’s travelled to Burntwood knowing that a victory was required in their final league fixture to achieve 2nd place in the table & a favourable playoff draw.
Burntwood started proceedings kicking into the strong windy conditions. Taylor Dealtry took the ball & ran straight into a flat line of Green/Red Shirts. Right on his shoulder were the reliable pair of Max Williams & Ben Hulland driving over. George Roden wipped the ball out to Max Mckendrick who took it on but play fizzled out.
The hosts then got their hands o ball on half way & drove a rolling maul to with Burton’s 22 sucking in the whole pack. Burton’s defence was being put under severe pressure by the hosts with a series of infringements / off sides not assisting but the try line held firm.
After being under solid pressure for the opening 10 mins, Burton finally crossed the halfway line & mounted an attack of their own. Lewis Sturgess started the raid with a bombastic run through the centre before off loading to Jon Jarrett-Broberg who took it on. The referee saw an infringement & awarded a penalty. With a free ball Cameron Handy dived for the line & came just short. After a quick tap & go, Curtis Marshall got the ball 5 metres out, side-stepped his defender & dived over to open the scoring. A little against the run of play but Sam Valentine slotted his kick straight over.
Burntwood then kicked off & amazingly, the wind took the ball backwards. After cries of laughter from his fellow team mates, a scrum was awarded. Burton put in an almighty shove to move forward but the strong hosts pack won the ball. Their No: 10 put in a clearance kick that was charged down by Valentine, Lewis Mason was on hand to pick up the loose ball & still with lots to do raced in from 30 metres out to touch down under the posts. Valentine made it 2 out of 2 kicks.
With going 14 – 0 up, Burton took their foot off the pedal as Burntwood came back into the game. The scoreline was flattering the visitors who struggled to contain the hosts whose scrum was working well. It was Burton who welcomed the half time whistle with the score Burntwood 0 – 14 Burton.
BURNTWOOD 0
BURTON 14 ( Tries – Marshall, Mason Con – Valentine 2)
The 2nd half begun with Alex Finney, Abe Furner & Ben Whitehouse coming into the fray. The hosts started where they left off. With some lack lustre challenges, the hosts got what their work rate deserved & scored a try after 42 mins. Their conversion sailed just wide.
This was the spark that Burton needed to get them going. Burton launched a raid down the right with Taylor Millington & Tom Benjamin combining but the final ball went to ground just as Ryan Sharp was free to run in. Sheridan Cole then went on a break down the left & dived for the line coming millimetres short. Sturgess & JJB were making great in roads whilst Ryan Welsford was making an instant impact.
The hosts kicked the ball down field then came a moment of brilliance from Mason who put in a high up & under, caught it himself & set up a ruck. Cole then went on a mazy run & off loaded in the tackle to Furner who drive on before passing to Whitehouse who scored in the corner. A great team try. Valentine missed with his conversion.
Burntwood, kicked off & with an exact repeat of the earlier try, Cole again went on a run & passed to Whitehouse who completed a 2nd half brace by again scoring in the corner. Benjamin’s conversion from tight to the touchline was just short to leave the final score Burntwood 5 – 24 Burton.
BURNTWOOD 5
BURTON 24 ( Tries – Marshall, Mason, Whitehouse 2 Con – Valentine 2)
After a great start to the league campaign & a good win against a battling Burntwood side, Burton finish the league campaign in a magnificent runner up position. They can now look forward to a great draw in the knock out competition & a successful 2014.
The Coaching Team would like to thank all the players who took put in the league fixtures thus far & particularly Ben Higginson who travelled to support his team mates. Well done Ben!