Match Report - Toc H vs Burnley

Despite missing 5 tight-five regulars, Toc H took a strong team to last Saturday’s game at Burnley, a venue where it is always tricky to get a result against a competitive home team.

And so it proved, as Burnley took the game to Toc, with their heavy pack to the fore. Early signs were not promising, as the home side began to put Toc H under pressure at the set-piece and the blue and yellow forwards were prominent and monopolising possession. Despite Toc looking dangerous with the ball, they simply didn’t see enough of it and it was no surprise when Burnley rumbled over for a converted try and added a penalty shortly after. With Toc also on the wrong side of the referee, a long day looked in store, however, after weathering the early Burnley storm, the away team started to gain a foothold in the match and started asking serious questions of their hosts.

A first try for the club by inside-centre James Regan was swiftly followed by 3 points from the boot of Oli Thomas (who again kicked well) and Toc went in to half time level with Burnley, with the scores tied at 10 all. If a tight second half seemed on the cards, it never really materialised, as Toc H cut loose and scored three tries in the blink of an eye, to take the game away from Burnley. The pack started to dominate and with a plentiful supply of possession for Didsbury’s backs, it was James Regan, starting at 12, who did a lot of the damage, scoring two more tries to complete his hat-trick, and the new centre impressed with his direct running all day long, alongside midfield partners Tom Makin and Steve Bastock (with the latter also adding a smartly-finished try). Following a well-worked Burnley score (and another yellow card for Enita Okodiko) Mark Chambers was then on the end of a flowing move, with the ball going through multiple pairs of hands across the team, before the flanker scored under the posts. The game finished at 36-17, with a bonus point in the bag for Toc H, an excellent return from a venue where they have never found it easy to get a win.

Thanks to Burnley for a good hard match, we look forward to hosting them later in the year. Toc H’s attention now turns to this Saturday’s home game with Bury. There is now genuine competition for places across the squad and the men from Ford Lane will be looking to maintain their positive recent form.