ITS BEEN A LONG SUMMER

Match 1 - Burton Vipers v Lichfield A

Team: Liam, Lewis, Kern, Charlie, Luke, Duncan, Sam, Ed, Matthew, Teddy

Lichfield were quick of the mark with an initial run that almost took them over our line, but some good defending saved the try and allowed us to turn the ball over. Some good passing and quick movement of the ball soon saw us back at Lichfield's end. Burton sustained the pressure and put in some good tackles but were not quite able to get over the line. In response, Lichfield applied pressure of their own, which unfortunately did culminate in a try. Burton came back fighting , worked the ball well and it was Lewis who went over for our first try. Once again, Lichfield were quick out of the blocks on the restart and Burton were again defending their line. Again, the defence held until the half time whistle.
In the second half, it was Burton who had the flying start, with Sam making a run to within yards of the Lichfield line. However, we were unable to build on it, and unfortunately Lichfield were quick to respond with another try of their own. For most of the second half, the play was kept to the centre of the pitch, with neither team making much headway. Eventually Sam put in another blinding run and this time was successful in getting over the line.

Final score: 2-2

Match 2 - Burton Sharks v Lichfield B

Team: Dan, Franklin, Theo, Matty, Christopher, Alex, Simon, Ashraf, Archie

From the whistle, Burton set out with intent and it was Simon who cut through the Lichfield defence for the first try. They kept the pressure up and with some good rucking and mauling were able to steal the ball a number of times. It was Simon who wheeled round the defence and rolled over the line for try number two. Both Ashraf and Archie played very well in their first outing for Burton. They passed the ball well along the line, leaving Christopher with a clear run down the wing for our third try.
In the second half, Lichfield came back at them, but we tackled well and defended our line. For the rest of the match it was end-to-end stuff with both teams defending really well. Dan broke through to make it four tries for Burton. In the final seconds, Lichfield finally broke through our defence for a try of their own.

Final score: 4-1

Match 3 - Burton Sharks v Lichfield A

The boys started off well, playing a good passing game. They worked the ball out to the wing, where Christopher ran in the first try. Our scrum was working well and again we were able to steal the ball from Lichfield. However, we were unable to make any further ground and it was Lichfield who made the break through our defence and it was only a flying tackle from Matthew which saved the try. Lichfield kept up the pressure for the remainder of the half, and made it over our line twice before the whistle.
Lichfield kept up the pressure throughout the second half. Despite fighting hard, the heat of the day started to take its toll and the boys started to wane. They began to miss their tackles and couldn't hold off the sustained Lichfield attack, which saw them score a further two tries.

Final score: 1-4

Match 4 - Burton Vipers v Lichfield B

Burton started well, forcing Lichfield back from the off. Sustained pressure from Burton saw Kern power through for the first try. Some good work in th emaul took Burton back up to the Lichfield line, only to lose the ball in the line out. Both sides tackled solidly, keeping play confined to the middle of the pitch. Just on half time, Kern made the break and scored his second.
The teams continued to be evenly matched in the second half. Some loose passing and missed tackles saw Burton on the back foot but their defence held firm. There were promising breaks from Ed and Liam, but Lichfield defended just as hard and held us off. In the final seconds, it was Lichfield that made the final run to score their first try.

Final score - 2-1