Burton edge past valiant Leek

Burton Under 17`s hosted the return Staffordshire County League fixture against LEEK RFC

SQUAD LIST

Broberg, Cole, Dealtry, Finney, Furner, Greenwood, Handy, Higginson, Hulland, Marshall, McKendrick, Millington, Mycock, Pickett, Roden, Sharp, Shaw, Spray, Sturgess, Valentine, Welsford, Whitehouse, Williams.

STARTING LINE-UP

1. Loose Head Prop – Cameron Handy
2. Hooker – Max Mckendrick (Capt.)
3. Tight Head Prop – Josh Shaw
4. 2nd Row – Ben Whitehouse
5. 2nd Row – Joe Mycock
6. Blind Side Flanker – Lewis Sturgess
7. Open Side Flanker – Max Williams
8. Number 8 – JJ Broberg
9. Scrum Half – Alex Finney
10. Fly Half – Taylor Millington
11. Left Wing – Sheridan Cole
12. Inside Centre – Sam Valentine
13. Outside Centre – Harry Pickett
14. Right Wing – Will Spray
15. Full Back –George Roden

MATCH REPORT

After a somewhat mixed performance a few weeks ago, Burton faced Leek with a point to prove.

The game started with a Leek kick off. Taylor Dealtry was back from Army Duty to take the catch & using his considerable strength to drive on. Lewis Sturgess was first to the breakdown to secure the ball. Alex Finney wipped the ball to the awaiting pod of Ben Whitehouse, Joe Mycock & Max Mckendrick whom took it on. Leek’s forwards matched up well to the challenge with their big No: 6 providing some additional steel up front.

The ball was kept amongst the forwards for the first 15 mins as Josh Greenwood & Jon Jarrett-Broberg made3 great carriers but the whitewash remained unblemished as defences were on top.

It was a moment of generous from Taylor Millington who kicked the ball downfield who first opened up the game. Sam Valentine followed up quickly & charged down then picked up the loose ball before diving over to open the scoring. Valentine then coolly slotted the extras.

Leek’s backline were not to be outdone but everytime they attempted to kick the ball downfield, they were met by George Roden who would run the ball back. Eargerly supporting Roden was Will Spray who regularly came in off the wing to add impact. Harry Pickett made several breaks before being tackled with Cameron Handy on hand to clear out at the ruck.

On 30 mins, Leek tried to kick the ball clear & Sheridan Cole caught the ball then used his footwork to avade the first 2 defenders. Then a great passing move along the line saw Valentine dive over in the corner. The conversion was missed to leave the score, Burton 12 – 0 Leek at half time.

BURTON 12 (Tries – Valentine 2. Con – Valentine)
LEEK 0

The 2nd half begun with the forwards again dominating play. Ben Hulland was straight into the thick of the action with several telling tackles & equally able as he broke the gain line. Abe Furner & Curtis Marshall were well organised & ever-present to get to the breakdowns. Josh Greenwood & Ben Higginson ensured that the front row were strong & aggressive in the scrum but it was Leek’s No:6 that was proving the difference. He broke free on 42 mins to bring his side back into the game with a converted try.

Burton came straight back with Ryan’s Sharp & Welsford making an impact. With time running down, the forwards battled with no further crossing of the white wash. This led to the final score of Burton 12 – 7 Leek at the final whistle.

BURTON 12 (Tries – Valentine 2. Con – Valentine)
LEEK 7

The Coaching Team would like to congratulate all the players whom took part in this fixture as both sides showed a high level of competitiveness played in a totally fair manner. It was summed up by Leek’s No:6, James Taylor, asking for Burton’s No:3, Cameron Handy, so that they could shake hands. Great attitude & good luck to both sides for the rest of the season.