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Midlands 1 |
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Burton |
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Rugby Lions |
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on 25th March 2006 |
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ko : 3.00pm |
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Match Report -
also see
picture gallery |
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© RugbyLions.net. |
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Burton 18 Rugby Lions 45
Match report and pictures by Dave Rushall
Rugby Lions delighted the many travelling supporters
by deservedly securing automatic promotion and National League status in
the drizzle at Peel Croft, Burton. They scored a total of 7 tries to
achieve a fairly comfortable win on the day.
The game began with the Lions camped in the home 22
and after conceding a number of penalties, the pressure finally told on
Burton when the ball was spun out to wing Chris Murphy to dive over.
Glenn Bond’s conversion just scraped over the bar for a 7-0 lead. With
Denzil utilising the following wind expertly with some penetrating kicks
the pressure was maintained. When Burton did finally get into the Lion’s
half, fly-half Gilmour dropped a goal to make the score 3-7.
Back came Lions and a lovely bit of interplay
involving Denzil and Hawks led to Glenn Bond scoring by the uprights to
make the conversion easier for himself. 3-14.
A typical chip by scrum half Jacko bounced wickedly
for the defender and Wilf Barclay gathered the loose ball. Despite
looking likely to score himself, he unselfishly shipped the ball to the
supporting Alex Nash for the try. Glenn’s conversion attempt this time
slid to the right of the uprights. 3-19. With what little ball the
Burton backs had, they looked quite lively and scored a nice try in the
left corner to reduce the deficit to 8-19.
Half Time:- Burton 8 Rugby Lions 19
A driving maul following a lineout by the Lions
proved unstoppable with the scorer being unidentified. Glenn converted
to make the lead quite comfortable at 8- 26.
Burton responded well however and scored a nice try
by centre Bartram to keep Lion’s fans from becoming too complacent.
13-26.
A mazy run from Ricky Hislop opened a gap for Chris
Murphy but he was hauled down just short of the line. A clearance kick
by Burton was taken by Hawks who fed Glenn Bond and then onto Dave
Clements on the half way line. Dave went off on a run and somehow jinked
his way right through the home defence to score with a show-boat dive
under the posts. Glenn Converted for a 13-33 scoreline.
To their credit, Burton’s heads did not drop and
scored another nice try from their full back Porter. The conversion
attempt hit a post 18-33. Lions were not going to be denied however, and
Nashie collected a loose ball from a lineout to claim
his second try, converted by Glenn Bond. 13-40.
A massive hit by Alex Nash led to the ball spinning
to Chris Murphy for his second, and the game’s final try.
Then the champagne corks popped and the celebrations
began.
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Man of the Match |
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There were a few nominations for this including Denzil, Wilf and Alex,
but in the end the whole team deserved credit for a super win. |
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Match preview |
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Team news
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| by Dennis Keen |
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Burton Preview
As this preview is being written, two thirds of the
way through March, there is still talk of snow amongst the weather
forecasters, but by Saturday Spring might finally have arrived. The
Lions came closer to defeat than might have been expected last Saturday
when they played their snow/frost postponed game at Walsall. Whether it
was a case of being almost promoted, playing a side threatened with
relegation or having key players missing through injury is anyone’s
guess: probably a bit of them all. Burton are also facing the threat of
relegation, so Rugby will probably encounter a similar degree of
determination for the second weekend running
At the end of 2004/05 Burton were promoted for the
second consecutive season but, since having two points deducted for a
misdemeanour early in the season, they have slipped down the league
table and are currently in tenth place, having played 19 games with six
wins and thirteen defeats. Away from home they have beaten Bromsgrove,
Walsall and Kettering, but lost to Bedford Athletic, Dudley K,
Dunstablians, Luctonians, Luton, Rugby and Scunthorpe. They have three
home wins against Bromsgrove, Dunstablians and Scunthorpe, but lost to
Bedford Athletic, Dudley K, Luctonians, Luton, Market Bosworth and
Walsall.
There is a Warwickshire Cup semi-final game to be
played against Broadstreet this Wednesday and it is to be hoped that,
whatever the outcome, there will be enough players left still on their
feet to raise the banner at Peel Croft. One more 80 minutes of
disciplined basic rugby with no wasted kicks would see the Lions more or
less home and dry. This is the 19th season of league
competition and in that time there have only been three when the Lions
have stayed in place with no promotion or relegation. There is no chance
of relegation this season so it would buck the trend if they missed out
on promotion this time. |
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