Losing streak stretches to five as Kenilworth go down at Burton

Kenilworth dropped to ninth in the table after Burton condemned them to a fifth successive league defeat, writes Sophie Freestone.
The referee receives treatment for a leg injury during the first half of Kenilworth's clash at Burton. Picture: Willie WhitesmithThe referee receives treatment for a leg injury during the first half of Kenilworth's clash at Burton. Picture: Willie Whitesmith
The referee receives treatment for a leg injury during the first half of Kenilworth's clash at Burton. Picture: Willie Whitesmith

Kenilworth had the first opportunity to put points on the scoreboard but Josh Hickman’s penalty was just wide of the mark.

Burton then began to put pressure on the visiting defence with a clever kick through resulting in a five-metre scrum after the ball was allowed to go dead.

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A strong scrum from the home side then allowed number eight Ed Saunders to touch down for the game’s opening try in the eighth minute.

Kenilworth mounted a strong attack in response and a great run from full-back Jamie Mapletoft took them deep into the home side’s half and yielded a penalty.

Hickman’s successful kick narrowed the deficit to two points but that was as close as the visitors got.

Burton extended their lead two minutes later courtesy of a converted try.

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The remainder of the match was put in jeopardy after the referee suffered a painful-looking injury to his leg in the 20th minute.

He continued, however, and was soon awarding Burton their third try of the afternoon, with the conversion taking them into a healthy 19-3 lead.

Kenilworth continued to show their attacking intent with moments of impressive play, including a superb run up the touchline from flanker Mikkel Andresen which took his side up to the Burton 22.

Hickman closed the gap to 13 points just past the half-hour mark with a penalty but the visitors could not close the gap further before half-time arrived.

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With the second half under way, Kenilworth once again started brightly and were rewarded for their efforts inside the first two minutes.

An excellent solo try from Andresen was converted by Hickman to reduce Burton’s advantage to just six points.

With the referee still struggling with his injury, Burton increased their advantage after their full-back found space on the left courtesy of an overlap, crossing in the corner for their bonus-point try.

The conversion attempt was successful with the help of the upright.

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A fifth try came for the home side with 23 minutes to go, although the conversion was missed.

Kenilworth continued to ask questions of the home defence and closed the gap to nine points thanks to a converted try from captain Bobby Thompson before Burton ended the match with an 80th- minute try.

The successful conversion was the final act of the afternoon.