BURNTWOOD widened the gap to the side below them in the table when they recorded a 26-12 home win over Newcastle.
Club volunteers worked on the pitch in the morning to make it playable, but it was the visitors who took first advantage as they went into the lead after six minutes when they benefited from a missed line out by the hosts to charge over for an unconverted try.
Newcastle had the chance to add three points on 11 minutes with a kickable penalty, but the ball struck a post and stayed out.
The miss proved costly as two minutes later the home side took the lead. Penalty awards allowed Kian Carter to provide a line out in the right corner from which possession was caught and driven before Luke Rookyard broke off to touch down. Carter’s conversion from wide out made it 7-5.
The hosts now hit their stride with more than one sweeping attack from halfway, but twice they were held up on the try line.
It needed a repeat of their initial effort to alter the scoreboard. Carter found the right corner again from a penalty award and Rookyard applied the finishing touch to the half with his second try for 12-5.
The visitors continued to concede penalties early in the second period which had them pinned in their own 22. Ethan Turner went close only for another infringement to cost Newcastle a player to a yellow card. The subsequent penalty was tapped and moved efficiently to Sam Hull – who had replaced Alex Smail at half time – to score near the right corner. Carter extended the lead with another fine conversion.
The bonus point try arrived on 56 minutes. A superb run by Tom Pockson took play from his own 22 to the opposition 22. When the support arrived to retain possession, Carter chipped through to score and then convert his own try.
Billy Fisher’s side then had to show their defensive capabilities as the visitors worked hard to narrow the gap. They stood up to a series of close range tapped penalties, but then undid their good work by having a pass intercepted on 77 minutes for the right winger to speed away to the try line for a converted try.
The same player then seized on a loose ball two minutes later and was away again, only to knock the ball on in the act of scoring to deny his side the chance of a losing bonus point.
Burntwood went on defending five minutes into added time, but the match concluded with a textbook try-saving tackle by Hull who put his opponent into touch.
Burntwood 2nds also achieved a league double after travelling to Linley and returning with a 41-22 victory.
The first score went to the hosts, but Dan Black’s side went on to lead thereafter. The hosts repeatedly pegged them back but a couple of late tries secured the win.
Try scorers were Adam Evans (2), Harry Heath (2), Ben Finney, Liam Robbins and skipper Black. Matt Wenlock-Evans added three conversions to complete the tally. Stand out performers for Burntwood were Kyle Westwood and Mack Johnson.
