it was plain to see why the Burton team started at such a frantic pace against Sutton Coldfield in this Midlands 1 West league match on Peel Croft on Saturday afternoon. Eight points on the board within the first five minutes got supporters talking far more than the presence of lady referee, Claire Hodnett, officiating on the pitch. But while the score board did not continue at that pace the standard of Hodnett’s refereeing did not vary from its excellent beginnings and was a credit to her knowledge and prowess throughout the game.

On a glorious sunny afternoon in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd Burton kicked-off and were immediately awarded a penalty for offside in front of the posts just outside the visitor’s twenty-two. Tom Bartram made no mistake with his first kick of the day as it bisected the uprights to put Burton on the board. Burton were not stopping there and from the restart Lewis Brooks with Joe Carpenter and Darryl Banton in support race half the length of the pitch to take play to within five metres of the Sutton line. But Burton were penalised and the opposition cleared to their twenty-two. From the lineout Burton attacked as Lawrence Betty took a crash ball to set up a ruck and good quick ball saw Banton go blind to feed Brooks, who took the ball at pace and swerved round the outside of two defenders before diving over to score in the corner.

With Bartram’s conversion missing Burton now led 8-0 with only five minutes play gone and supporters must have thought that a glut of tries would follow, but Sutton had other ideas and pressed back on the attack. But their normally reliable kicker, Rowlands, missed with a penalty goal attempt. However, from the dropout the Sutton pack surged forward to set up a rolling maul and when the ball was released their fullback raced through Burton’s frail midfield defence to score under the posts. This time Rowlands made no mistake with his kick to reduce Burton lead to just one point at 8-7.

This set back roused the Burton team and great work by Danny Smith, Jon Edwards, Joe Carpenter and Dan Clarke saw play get back to the halfway line after Sutton had kicked deep upfield. Banton superbly stopped another Sutton attack before Ian Gilmour kicked the ball back to the Burton ten-metre line where Sutton were penalised. A quick tap by Craig Dutton saw Betty, Clarke and Gilmour inter pass to take the ball towards the opposition line in a move that caught the defence out and once again Sutton conceded a penalty. Bartram landed his second successful kick of the day as his attempt sailed over the bar and Burton led 11-7 after twenty minutes play.

With Banton, Carpenter and Simon Spencer creating mayhem at the back of the Sutton scrums Burton began to pile on the pressure and control both possession and territory. A Burton scrum saw Dutton pick-up and feed Banton down the narrow side and with Carpenter in support he raced thirty metres towards the line before passing to fullback John Philliskirk. He chased towards the line and was tackled but using every inch of his body from toes to fingertips he stretched out and grounded the ball over the line for a try. Bartram missed the conversion but Burton now led 16-7.
From the restart Burton were penalised but Rowlands again missed with his attempted penalty goal kick and so Burton cleared to halfway. But another penalty saw the opposition kick deep to the corner and from the lineout Sutton set-up a rolling maul. But the Burton pack was equal to it with Rob Wakelin, Charl Neethling and Josh Cartwright matching anything that Sutton threw at them. Burton eventually won the ball and Gilmour, Philliskirk and Betty worked the ball upfield to halfway. From here some great work by the pack produced ball for Brooks to carve fifty metres through the visitor’s defence only to be tackled four metres short of the line. But with Dutton, Carpenter and Spencer up in support the ball was quickly recycled and the ball was spun out wide. Gilmour, Bartram and Betty all handled before Brooks pass the ball back inside to Smith who raced through the cover to touch down in the corner to give Burton a 21-7 lead with a couple of minutes remaining in the half. During this time Carpenter, Spencer, Dutton, Edwards and Banton continued to be a thorn in Sutton’s side but could not add to the scoreline.

The visitors started the second half brightly but the Burton defensive line would not be broken as all players put their bodies on the line to stop a series of Sutton attacks. Unfortunately on one of these attacks Burton were caught offside and this time Rowlands made no mistake with his kick to make the score 21-10. Danny Smith caught the restart and jinked his way forward to set-up a Burton attack that got to the opposition twenty-two. Then a great move saw Gilmour loop round to retake the ball from Bartram and feed Dave Archer, who had just come on for the injured Brooks to make his 50th senior appearance, but Gilmour couldn’t take Archer’s return pass and the chance was gone.

More pressure from the Burton team saw Clarke, Carpenter and Dutton combine to steal the ball and Burton won a penalty, but Bartram’s attempt struck the upright and bounced back into play for Sutton to kick clear. But Sutton soaked up all this early pressure from the Burton team and as Burton started to get bogged down they began to assert some of their own. However, constant injuries to their players saw play being continually stopped and this stop-start syndrome plus Burton’s gritty defence meant they could not get any tempo to their game. In addition great spoiling work by Banton at the base of the scrum resulted in any ball Sutton won being slowed or lost as he, Carpenter and Spencer revelled in the chaos created.

However, following a penalty against Burton a lineout inside the home twenty-two gave Sutton the chance to work another move that saw the winger enter the line at pace and burst through Burton’s midfield to touchdown under the posts for a converted try that narrowed Burton’s lead to 21-17.

This stirred the Burton team and with Sutton thinking Bartram was going to attempt a kick at goal he tapped the ball to Edwards who smashed his way forward into the unsuspecting Sutton ranks. With Carpenter, Gilmour and Dutton in support Burton’s pack surged towards the opposition line. When stopped Banton spun the ball out wide and with Sutton desperate for the ball an attempted interception gave Burton a scrum between the ten and twenty-two metre lines. A great push by the Burton pack saw Banton feed Gilmour, who lit the blue touch-paper and scorched through the bewildered Sutton defenders without so much as a finger touching him to score near the posts. Bartram narrowly missed the conversion but Burton now led 26-17 and Sutton had to score twice in the remaining five minutes to stop a Burton victory. But with Philliskirk and Gilmour just missing out on a score at one end it was left to Carpenter to chase back and stop a score at the other end to end the match with Burton worthy winners and just one victory away from the title and automatic promotion.