Bonus Point Win For Burton Over Stoke

Burton entertained Stoke at Battlestead Croft in front of a large Patrons Day crowd on a sunny but cool October day with both sides looking to extend winning runs of two games. As well as being a Regional 1 Midlands league fixture the game also doubled up as a Staffordshire County Cup semi-final, so there was plenty at stake for both teams.
The early stages of the first half saw Stoke dominating possession having received the kick-off and slowly making their way back almost to the half-way line due to some excellent defensive work across the Burton team. Stoke then progressed deep into the Burton half courtesy of a kick through which went into touch and handed Burton the throw at a line-out. A good catch and drive from the Burton pack saw them gain good ground with their first phases with the ball, almost back to the 10-metre line on the right.
Burton’s first handling move from right to left found them still just in their own half and struggling to make further progress due to a handling error but this was recovered and moved back to the right and Stoke were opened up by a classy run by Alex Nesbitt into the Stoke half where he then found Chaz Bunting in support with an inside pass and Bunting sprinted clear of the Stoke defence to score the first try of the game after 4 minutes under the posts. Will Simpson converted, and Burton had an early lead. Burton 7-0 Stoke.
From the re-start Burton looked to move the ball again from right to left and Joe Gazzard made a useful break in the middle of the pitch, but Burton were then penalised for not rolling away at the next breakdown. Burton were soon though back in Stoke territory after Simpson used the strong breeze to his advantage to take play into the Stoke “22” on the left, where a Stoke clearance gave Burton the throw at a line-out. Unfortunately, Stoke won the line-out and cleared up to the 10-metre line where the next Burton throw went a little astray although they did manage to keep possession.
The Burton backs moved the ball wide again and looked threatening, but a kick though was well cleared by the Stoke defence. The Burton line-out was just not functioning at this stage and Stoke were able to retain the ball. An attempted chip kick was charged down by Burton, but the ball bounced kindly for Stoke they took full advantage of this good fortune and scored their first try of the game on the right after 10 minutes. The conversion was missed but Stoke were up and running. Burton 7-5 Stoke.
The re-start kick went deep and Stoke cleared with a kick to the 10-metre line on the Burton left. Another throw then went astray and Stoke were handed possession again. As Stoke moved the ball well from right to left towards the stand Burton found themselves on the wrong end of a strange penalty decision and all of a sudden, they were under pressure again in their own “22”. Although Burton survived on this occasion without conceding but Stoke were gaining in confidence and started to run the ball in an attempt to open up the home defence. Initially Burton stood their ground and there was a period of stalemate. However a long Burton clearance was run back at them, and a second try was scored by Stoke much to the disappointment of the home supporters. A missed conversion meant the advantage was only 3 points but Stoke now had the lead after 15 minutes. Burton 7-10 Stoke.
Stoke’s lead was relatively short-lived as George Able showed great anticipation and awareness when he intercepted a Stoke pass in midfield just 2 minutes later and sprinted away unchallenged to score Burton’s second try under the posts. Simpson added the extras and Burton regained the lead Burton 14-10 Stoke. Over the next 10 minutes or so there was a lull in the scoring as each side tightened up their defence and most of the action took place either side of the half-way line. Burton were the side to end this period when Able scored his second try on the left with a powerful run through the Stoke defence. Simpson added the conversion to increase Burton’s lead to 11 points with just over 10 minutes to go before half-time. Burton 21-10 Stoke.
However it was Stoke who would hit back next as the pendulum swung in their favour just 4 minutes later to score their third try of the game. The conversion was unsuccessful, so Burton led by just 6 points with 7 minutes of the half remaining. Burton 21-15 Stoke. With half-time fast approaching Burton upped their game as they searched for their bonus point try and a classic catch and drive move from a line-out on the left ended in familiar style with James Davies touching down. Simpson added the conversion and Burton could be well satisfied with their half-time lead. Burton 28-15 Stoke.
The second half began with Burton on the front foot, and it was not long before they had an opportunity to increase their lead further with a penalty attempt which just missed to the right of the posts. Stoke, however, were next to score as they took advantage of some early possession and scored their bonus point try after just 7 minutes. A successful conversion took them back to within one score of Burton and there was a very tense atmosphere around Battlestead Croft for the remainder of the game.
That tension signalled a real tussle between each team to try and get some continuity and consecutive phases together in order to gain territorial advantage which would be key to deciding the outcome of the match. As the half went on it was Stoke who looked the more likely to score as Burton seemed to be clinging on to their lead by a thread. To their credit, when it really mattered Burton managed to stifle the attacks mounted by Stoke with some desperate defending and it was with some relief when the final whistle blew to signal the end of the game. Man of the match was deservedly awarded to double try scorer George Abel. As well as securing their place in another Staffordshire Cup Final later in the season, Burton retain their 4th place in the Regional 1 Midlands league. The next 4 league fixtures are all against teams around them, starting with an away trip to 5th place Kenilworth next week.