On a bright, sunny afternoon Burton continued their improved form by giving home supporters an eight try display to give them a 52-15 victory over Camp Hill in a game that not only showed plenty of promise but also many areas that still need to be tightened up on. While completely overwhelming the visiting side Burton could easily have produced a much bigger victory if they had not wasted so much hard won possession with poor distribution and unforced basic errors that allowed the opposition chance to counter attack on far too many occasions, but also to their credit the Burton side did manage to stay at full strength throughout the full eighty minutes.

Despite the unavailability of Gavin Cole and Lewis Brooks the return of Lawrence Betty and Luke Peach to the side after injury gave Burton’s back line a solid look as Dave Archer kicked-off to start the game with Burton attacking the Lichfield Road end. Just as the Burton pack had fought to gain possession a loose pass from Darryl Banton to Peach was hacked on by the on rushing Camp Hill players into the arms of Archer. But his clearance attempt from the twenty-two was charged down and the visiting full back raced through to snatch up the ball and touch down between the posts for their kicker to convert and give his side a 0-7 lead after two minutes play. Worse was to follow as from the restart more poor kicking by Burton saw the opposition take play to halfway where Burton were penalised for a high tackle and the opposition kicker coolly bisected the uprights with his near fifty metre kick.

Trailing 0-10 with less than four minutes played it looked as though the afternoon was going to be a long one for Burton players and supporters as from the restart Burton again struggled with poor distribution that allowed Camp Hill to get into the game. Danny Smith picked up a bouncing ball to make ground down the wing before Banton was stopped as he broke down the blindside, but Burton gained a penalty that unfortunately Archer couldn’t convert. Then Craig Dutton broke from a scrum and set up good ball that was spun out to Ian Gilmour, who fed Archer on the inside and he was stopped fifteen metres short. But Jon Edwards and Kelvin Browne were quickly in support to recycle the ball and Banton fed it out to Josh Cartwright, Matt Tivey and Dutton who all made ground before passing to Dave Fitchett who dived over in the corner and put Burton on the board. Archer’s touchline effort sailed between the posts and Burton were back in the game at 7-10 with thirty minutes of the half remaining.

The restart failed to go ten metres and so Burton had a scrum in the centre and a good surge by the pack saw the ball moved out to within five metres of the opposition line where the visitors were penalised for slowing the ball. Burton opted for a scrum but yet another loose pass cost Burton possession and ground and so the Burton pack had it all to do again back on the halfway line. Good play by Edwards, Dutton , Tivey and Nathan Taylor took back into opposition territory as Burton pressed forward. Slow ball saw Peach having to kick over the defence and the ever alert Danny Smith raced on to catch the ball and speed over the line to score under the posts. Archer made no mistake with the conversion and so Burton took the lead, 14-10, for the first time after thirty minutes of having controlled the game.

Another poor restart saw Burton again get a scrum in the centre but also, yet again, more of the same from Burton saw possession squandered as a loose pass was allowed to bounce around for the opposition to snatch up the ball and race in for an unconverted try to retake the lead at 14-15. From the kick-off Burton gained a penalty due to the ball being slowed down and Archer kicked deep in to the Camp Hill twenty-two and Cartwright won the lineout and at last Burton managed to move the ball cleanly to the backs for Betty to race through the cover to score and Archer converted to give Burton a 21-15 lead.

A lineout on halfway saw Edwards take the ball and his fellow forwards drove him up field to start a rolling maul that travelled to within two metres of the line only for the ball to be lost as Camp Hill broke clear and raced back to the Burton ten metre line where Archer and Sam Smith stooped the move. On the stroke of halftime Camp Hill’s winger was yellow cared for holding on as the Burton defenders tried to get the ball.

The first fifteen minutes of the second half saw some both sides battling for ground and possession around the halfway line as basic errors and poor handling ruled the day. Eventually the Burton pack began to gain control and from a ruck following a Banton break Jamie Hamilton took the ball forward and fed Danny Smith. The winger raced down the touchline before cutting back inside through the cover to run fifty metres and score under the posts, Archer added the extra points and Burton now led 28-15.

From this point on it was all one way traffic as Burton pressed onwards and upwards to get four more tries as they at last got their distribution tightened up with forwards and backs linking together. Although at times some strange options were tried, such as over ambitious drop goal attempts and aimless kicks, by Burton players when simpler moves keeping the ball in hand would have been far more beneficial.

A great take by Edwards saw him rise those extra vital inches to drop the ball into Dutton’s hand and the No 8 made twenty metres before passing to Danny Smith and the little winger twisted and weaved his way through the opposition to score his third try of the day. Archer failed with the simple conversion from in front of the posts but made amends with two more as Burton continued to dominate. Then a great passage of play from Burton saw them capitalise on a dropped pass for Gilmour to snap up the loose ball and break clear to feed Archer, who off loaded to Banton. The scrum half was stopped but not before slipping the ball to Browne, as ever in support, and after nearly out stripping all would be tacklers he just managed to stretch out over the line for a converted try. From the restart a great break by Taylor saw him dodge and bustle his way nearly to the Camp Hill twenty-two but slow ball saw Banton being forced to kick ahead and the ball beat all the chasers to go over the dead ball line. A Burton lineout five metres from the visitors line saw Will Brooks take the ball and with Cartwright, Dutton and Fitchett in support the pack surged over the line for Fitchett to get his second try of the day. His fellow flanker, Browne, was not to be out done and with the seconds ticking away he pounced on a loose ball to race fifty metres for his second try.

Archer’s final conversion took the score line to 52-15 for a thoroughly deserved, if not completely flawless, display from this much improving Burton side to record their first home victory of the season.