Boro thirds have wind in their sails
A FIRST half brace from Konrad Hill sent Littleborough third team top of the table in horrendous conditions at Rakewood.
Gale-force winds and heavy persistent rain caused by Storm Brian played a hugely significant part in the game and ensured that whoever played with the wind at their backs would have the majority of the possession, territory and chance to win the game.
And that was how the first half panned out. The home side scored 3 unanswered tries in the first 40 minutes. The Littleborough pack took the rolling maul from the line-out from the 22-metre line to the try-line, and as Burnage grimly tried to halt their progress, hooker Steve Hat was the man in the right place at the right time to go over for his first Littleborough try.
It would soon be 12-0 as fly half Hill scythed his way through a hole in midfield metres out from the Burnage line, after terrific build up play had the visitors defence scrambling.
Littleborough failed to break down Burnage again until the last play of the first half. Great hands in midfield by James Muir and Aaron Jones sent Corey Chaplin free down the right. He had the wherewithal to off load to his back three partner Leigh Nolan, who on his birthday beat three men and off loaded to Hill to race clear of the covering defence.
Come the second half and with both the conditions and the hill favouring Burnage, it was the visitors who would spend 78 per cent of the time in Littleborough territory.
Fortunately for the home side, they could not make the advantage count as well as the new table toppers.
Centre Clegg blasted his big frame through a number of tackles to touch down at the base of the post while visiting number 10 finished off a flowing move down the right hand side to give themselves 5 minutes to level the scores and take something from the game.
Burnage nearly did just that on several occasions as both the outside centre and the openside flanker guilty of dropping the ball metres from the try line. However Littleborough would hang on and continue their terrific start to the season.