In the last league fixture before the New Year both teams put on a fantastic display of open, running rugby with superb handling, despite the bitter cold and lashing rain, and coupled with the superb way in which the game was refereed produced a game that warmed the heart and bodies of the supporters and gave Burton an early Christmas bonus of five league points. The atrocious conditions faded into insignificance as both side threw the ball around but in the end it was Burton’s power and pace that left a gallant Stratford side struggling to keep up with their hosts. But to the visitor’s credit even in the last couple of minutes they were still trying to run the ball out of defence as they had battled throughout the match.

Dave Archer started the game and with both sides coming to terms with conditions play hovered around the halfway line as some loose kicks failed to find touch. The first scrum gave the Burton pack chance to demonstrate their power as they took the ball for Ben Peach to feed Craig Dutton down the blindside. Dutton made ground before passing to Lewis Brooks to race down the touchline and with the fullback in his path he neatly chipped inside for Danny Smith race up in support and continue the move by also tapping ahead with a deft little kick and win the race to touchdown. Archer’s attempted conversion skidded across the pitch as he slipped during his run up.

So with only two minutes gone Burton led 5-0 but more poor kicking saw the opposition given the opportunity to counter attack and only a tackle by Ian Gilmour stopped a certain try as a Stratford player gathered and raced through Burton’s flat-footed defence. For the next ten minutes Stratford were on the front foot as they kept play in and around the Burton twenty-two, but stubborn defence by the Burton back row trio of Dutton, Dave Fitchett and ‘Spud’ Taylor nullified all the oppositions efforts. Then Luke Peach marked a kick ahead deep in his own twenty-two and his return kick at last took play into Stratford territory where move good work by the Burton back row saw the ball spun out to Brooks and he timed his pass to perfection for Archer to race in for a try from thirty metres out.

With the deepening quagmire beginning to make both sides appear like creatures from the lagoon the fact that the game flowed was a credit to all on the pitch, although at times some players did make the odd mistakes and gave the ball opposition players. A great forty metre run by ‘Spud’ Taylor was wasted as Burton were penalised for crossing for Stratford to again get back into the Burton half. A kick ahead saw Gilmour under pressure and he had to concede a five metre scrum, but the Burton pack took the ball and Peach cleared back to halfway. The ensuing lineout saw Burton penalised for offside and the Stratford kicker made no mistake with his kick to put his side on the board.

From the restart Burton surged forward with Kev Birt, Nathan Taylor and Josh Cartwright all making powerful runs. A great rolling maul with ‘Spud’ Taylor in control took play forty metres towards the opposition line and after several attempts to crash over the line Ben Peach fed Dutton who drew the defence before slipping the ball back to Peach to dive over the line. Archer, at last, found his kicking boots from in the mud, and added the extra points to give Burton a 17-3 lead.

Stratford’s restart again saw their pack surge forward and Gilmour again had to touch down, but this time the five-metre scrum saw the opposition pack drive over for a try and take the score to 17-8.

But Burton soon got back in control and a great move involving Ken Archer. Matt Tivey, Nathan Taylor and Fitchett saw play move into the opposition twenty-two. From here Peach spun the ball out to his brother who drew the cover and fed the charging Lawrence Betty to crash over for a try from ten-metres out with defenders hanging of him. Archer again added the extra points and Burton went into the break leading 24-8.

Although some players changed into new shirts the second half saw it become increasingly difficult to see who was who, but fortunately all the scoring came from the Burton side as both sides continued to move the ball around the pitch. A kick up field by Archer was returned by Stratford, but it only found the welcoming arms of Ben Peach. He looked up and saw space out-wide and passed the ball out to Gilmour, who raced forward before passing to Brooks. He took the ball and ran round the outside of the cover to sprint forty metres for a superb try after just two minutes of the half.

In scoring Brooks injured his leg and was replaced by Danny Campbell with Archer moving to centre as Burton continued to maintain their grip of the game. Birt made another of his bustling runs to take play to inside the visitor’s twenty-two and then to put the icing on the cake and reward him for the many hard yards he had made during the game he took an inside pass off Ben Peach and crashed over the line for his first try in Burton colours. Archer’s boots were now well on song as his kick bisected the uprights to add the two extra points. Barely two minutes later more pressure from the Burton pack saw them take the ball towards the Stratford line and when stopped Luke Peach drove through his opposite number to score Burton’s seventh try with Archer again adding the extra points.

Tom Murphy replaced Birt and soon showed he could make ground as he charged forward to set up a ruck on the opposition twenty-two. From this the ball was spun out to Smith who weaved his way through the muddy maze to score for Archer to again convert. But Burton had still not finished and with some great tackling in midfield continually dislodging ball from would-be attacking Stratford players and with Peach, Fitchett, Dutton and Taylor always quicker to react Burton began to dominate more and more, but Stratford never gave up and kept going forward at every chance they had. One such tackle saw Betty dislodge and Taylor snatched up the loose ball to feed Archer and he linked with Fitchett to take the ball forward. From the ruck Dutton picked-up from the base and powered his way over the line for Burton’s final try.

His reward was to be replaced by Jon Edwards, who in two minutes was the same colour as the other players on the pitch as he drove forward and battled on the floor to retain ball. More surging forward bursts by Edwards, Tivey, Taylor, Cartwright and Fitchett nearly resulted in more tries for Burton. But after eighty minutes the man who had helped provide this excellent contest blew the final whistle and both sides trooped off the pitch like one muddy mass with Burton savouring victory by 55-8 after a nine try haul to fill their supporters stockings.