Burton 'A' 52 Tamworth 2nds 12 on 1st March 2008

With their previous five ‘pool’ fixtures having resulted in having to travel to get a game Burton ‘A’ XV at last got a home fixture from the ‘pool’ and looking for their third successive victory faced Tamworth on Peel Croft.

An early Will Peach penalty gave Burton the lead and saw them settle into their stride, but Tamworth soon showed they had other ideas and remained competitive throughout the first twenty minutes. But patience was to prevail and to mark his welcome return to the fold Henry Winsness showed he has lost none of his skill and reaction speed as he pounced on a loose ball at the back of a lineout to round the full back and touchdown for a try.

Instead of taking control of the game Burton allowed the visitors to hit back and following a penalty kick deep into the home 22 Tamworth drove over to score and get within one point of the hosts. But as the half progressed Burton slowly but surely began to realise their potential as first Rory Peverill scored a try before other wing Tristan Gill streaked in for one. Then on the stroke of half-time Winsness again demonstrated his expertise as he gathered the ball on halfway and burst through two tackles before powering over for his second try.

The second half saw the Crofters in full control and Tamworth struggled to live with Burton’s pace and power around the field. As Tamworth began to visibly tire they presented the home side with numerous opportunities and Burton ran in five more tries courtesy of Ben Peach, Jez Gibbs, Andy Black, Tristan Gill and Dave Noon. While Will Peach controlled the game well with clever distribution and kicks he only converted two of the nine tries and more productive conversion performance would have really put the seal on this emphatic victory for Burton.