Thetford rugby success

Thetford 27, Burnham-on-Crouch 15

RUGBY: Thetford advanced into the next round of the RFU Junior Vase after a commanding display against Burnham-on-Crouch.

Neither side had met before this preliminary round match so it was always going to be a cagey affair.

Both sides tested each other out for the first 20 minutes until a moment of class from the Thetford backs unleashed full-back Adam Harper into space for Thetford's first try.

This was a wake-up call for Burnham who then unleashed wave upon wave of attacks.

If it had not been for the hard work and determination of the back row of Bishop, Sands and Suttling, Thetford would have had a much harder hill to climb in the second half with Burnham leading 12-10 at half-time thanks to Burnham's very classy number 13.

Following their half-time team talk and a few simple adjustments by coach Ian Reynolds it appeared that some of the work done on the training pitch had been learned.

Although still making some errors, Thetford's self-belief continued to grow and nobody typified this more than Dexter's man-of-the-match Adam Brown, who showed the will to win and not let his team down.

Following a poor kick, he then tackled both props, one after the other, in three to four seconds and reclaimed the ball with a penalty to Thetford for holding on.

Burnham began to crack under sustained Thetford pressure, giving away penalties in their 22 which Thetford converted into points.

Burnham chanced their arm once too often and quick turnover ball was fed out to the wing where the smooth, silky running of Ian Reynolds was too much for Burnham.

Thetford know that there will be harder teams to crack but with a lot of hard work on training nights they look forward to the season.

Anybody interested in playing rugby should call Ollie Taylor on 0779474429. Training is every Tuesday and Thursday at Thetford RFC, Two Mile Bottom at 7pm.

The first XV are at home to Mildenhall on Saturday and the Heathens visit Watton.