A very confident, but much changed, Burton 1st XV travelled to ‘The Shrine’ at Haslucks Green Road to play Camp Hill in a Midlands I (West) league fixture only to return home pointless after the ghosts of previous visits had again turned up to bite them. How Burton selectors and supporters must have wished that they could have taken an exorcist with them to dispel these demons and allow Burton to play with the skill and vision that they possess rather than the panic stricken, uncontrolled mayhem they displayed. Although the game was scrappy and even the referee’s decisions favoured Burton they only had themselves to blame for not taking the opportunities to score tries that would have given them victory. But instead Burton chose to take wrong options throughout the game and this eventually culminated in two wild passes being thrown out that saw the home side intercept to score two breakaway tries in the last ten minutes to record a win 23-18 and so reverse the 52-15 beating they had suffered at Peel Croft earlier in the season.

In ideal conditions but without regulars Jon Edwards, Kev Birt, Tom Murphy and Lewis Brooks Burton took to the field at a venue that has never being a happy hunting ground for them and the writing was soon on the wall when inside five minutes Burton were penalised for offside and the home team’s kicker Ian Briggs put his side into a 3-0 lead. All too often in the past Burton have visited Camp Hill as favourites only to leave having lost to the supposed underdogs, supporters hoped that this would not be the case today.

Thankfully, Burton soon responded when Dave Archer kicked a Burton penalty into the home twenty-two for a Burton lineout, Josh Cartwright rose high to take the ball and the Burton pack steam-rolled twenty metres forward to carry ‘Spud’ Taylor and Dave Fitchett over the line for the latter to be awarded a try. Archer’s conversion narrowly missed but Burton now knew how to get results from their dominant pack in which the front row of debutant Simon Bradley, Matt Tivey and Nathan Taylor were totally in control. With Burton now leading 3-5 things looked back on track but, alas, this tactic was rarely tried again as Burton went for goal rather than using kicks into the corners to set up their powerful pack.

Fortunately Archer did kick two more penalty goals to put his side further in front by 3-11 after twenty-five minutes play, but then the ghosts of old struck and a Camp Hill attack saw their fly-half Jim Oliver streak through some weak Burton defending to score a converted try. Before the break the home team’s kicker gratefully accepted Burton’s next offering, when they were penalised for handling in the ruck, and his attempt at goal bisected the uprights to put his team into a 13-11 lead at half-time.

With the home team continually trying to slow play down at every opportunity Burton knew they must up their game and re-cycle the ball far quicker in the second half if they were to get a victory from this inept and lethargic display. From the kick-off the Burton pack looked livelier and started to hit rucks and mauls with much more conviction. Craig Dutton, Tivey and Cartwright all made great ground making runs to set up good field positions. This invigorated Burton side now began to look like the team its supporters know as they powered into the opposition and began to get the ball back to their backs far quicker. A deep kick into the opposition twenty-two saw Camp Hill hurriedly rush the clearance giving Burton a line out on the ten-metre line. Ken Archer took the ball and the back rolled infield to open up the narrow side and from this maul good quick ball was seized upon by Ben Peach for him to break blind and feed Lawrence Betty who showed the home defence a clean pair of heels as he raced over from thirty metres out for a try. Archer’s conversion sailed over the bar to put Burton back in front at 13-18.

With the tempo now increased it looked to be plain sailing for Burton, but unfortunately this resurgence was short lived and Burton allowed Camp Hill back in to again to slow the game down. Burton began to panic and tried to force the game in an effort to score more points but time and again players tried to do it themselves even though ‘free’ players were outside them and the chances were lost. But with these wrong options being taken and Burton ignoring the rewards that kicks into the corners had previously given them in the game Burton rang the changes with Darryl Banton replacing Ben Peach and then a back injury to ‘Spud’ Taylor saw him have to leave the field to be replaced by Ed Henry.

These changes didn’t alter Burton’s amount of possession but unfortunately they didn’t stop the wrong options either and Burton continued to press forward only to be thwarted by their own errors rather than Camp Hill’s play. Burton were still leading but were getting more and more frustrated at their lack of point scoring and with ten minutes to go Betty tried to throw out a long pass to Ian Gilmour but this was easily intercepted by a home player who raced fifty metres to score an unconverted try. Thankfully the previously very successful home kicker missed the upright and Burton was still in contention with the scores level at 18-18.

Burton continued to press looking for the match winning score but their attempts contained more panic than skill and with injury time being played Luke Peach threw out a ‘hopeful’ pass to Danny Smith but quick reacting home player sensed his chance and raced in to intercept and streak away to touch down for an unconverted try that sealed the victory for his side at 23-18 over a very clueless and lethargic Burton side.