Hinckley 35 Burton 5
Hinckley just had too much power in their pack for Burton to cope with illustrated by three pushover tries and a further try from a driving maul.

Burton started brightly and enjoyed the better of territory for the first ten minutes. Two penalties were kicked to the corner, Kelvin Browne taking the first at the tail and the second one being lost. However Burton remained on the front foot with Luke Peach and Loz Betty combining well before a kick at the posts was selected only for Sam Smith’s effort to narrowly miss. Hinckley’s power was evident at the first scrimmage but Craig Dutton and Nick Oxley were able to advance for Burton.
Hinckley made it into the Burton half of the field but Kelvin Browne and Will Roach carried well to clear the danger. The next scrummage was pushed 10 meters by the home side and earned them a penalty. Their Fly Half launched a 60 metre touch finding kick. Jack Neale stole the lineout but the pressure was mounting and Burton began to leak penalties. After twenty four minutes the deadlock was broken when Hinckley scored a pushover try which was then converted.
Burton chased the kick off well and were rewarded with a penalty. Roach, Tom Murphy and Daryl Banton made yards before an offence from the home Prop resulted on a yellow card. Peach kicked to the corner and the visitors ten drove over from a lineout with Roach claiming the try, Banton’s kicked slid wide.
Hinckley regained the ball after their kick off and then kept the ball tight before winning a penalty and taking three points from it. Things got worse for quickly for Burton when Dom Musetti was yellow carded after a scrum. Hinckley kicked to the corner and whilst Burton repelled the drive Hinckley they did so at the cost of further three points.
Burton were pegged back by a further booming kick but enterprising play from Peach Browne and Neale took play into the opposing half only for the ball to be lost. Hinckley kicked long and Oxley had no option to take the ball over his own line. Hinckley drove the scrum over and an excellent kick took the score to 20-5 followed by the half time whistle.
James Burrough replaced James Davies at Hooker and Eddie Saunders replaced Ken Archer causing a re-shuffle of the pack. Banton and Smith made ground with Smith‘s kick being very well chased by Burrough. Hinckley then countered but Oxley launched a great kick to take play into the Hinckley twenty two and from a penalty moments later Peach kicked to the corner. Hinckley knocked on at the line-out bit Burton were unable to capitalise on the pressure and home side worked their way up the park and very nearly scored. Play stayed in the Burton twenty two and the home side drove over to score from a lineout. The conversion was unsuccessful but the margin was now twenty points.
Eddie Nicholls replaced Banton. Musetti, Betty and Smith made ground after the kick off and a penalty gave Burton chance to kick for the corner. A Hinckley player was yellow carded but Burton succumbed to a turnover. The Hinckley Scrum Half hoisted a box kick which Dewi Williams took very well under pressure and wriggled free to advance. Burrough continued the move but once again the ball was lost at the breakdown. Hinckley cleared their lines and then set about Burton in the scrummage. From his comments in the programme the Hinckley Director of Rugby is clearly tiring of comments regarding his style of play but he would have been delighted when his Number 8 completed his hat-trick at the base of a dominant scrum. The conversion attempt hit the post.
Craig Dutton ran the kick back thirty metres relishing taking on one of his old clubs. Burton then strung together a dozen phases before Hinckley seized upon a loose ball in their twenty two and worked an excellent try on the counter-attack. Burton gave it all they had in the closing minutes with Peach and Oxley making good ground. Jack Brookes then ripped a whole in the defence but much as it had been with most of their attacks Burton couldn’t turn pressure into points. Hinckley sit third in the league and their superiority was plain to see however once again the Burton boys put in a huge effort and didn’t give up. Next week sees Burton entertain Tamworth in the County Cup Semi-final before they visit Longton in when anything but a win will surely mean relegation is unavoidable.