Durable Burcham brings up his 150

BLACKHEATH skipper Markus Burcham has his eyes on promotion after achieving a remarkable personal record of consecutive league appearances.

Burcham, 28, made his 150th successive start against Ampthill three weeks ago and shows no sign of stopping as Blackheath bid to reach the Championship.

Former Wasps academy centre Burcham said: “I’m not sure how I’ve managed to avoid the shepherd’s crook for so long, but it feels like a decent achievement to have started so many games on the trot.

“The previous Blackheath record was 55, held by Mike Friday, so to beat that and now be on my way to 160 this season feels pretty strange.”

Burcham added: “The run started against Esher in January 2014. I was rested for the previous game at Tynedale, where we lost horribly and were near the bottom, but I was drafted back in and we went on a bit of a run to avoid being relegated.

“There have been a few games when if we’d had a bit more strength-in-depth I could have done with a week off but I feel lucky to be in this team and worked hard to get there, so I don’t ever want to give up the jersey.”

Burcham was in the same Wasps academy group as Christian Wade, but their paths diverged and he played for Ealing, Barking and Thurrock before joining Blackheath in 2013.

A sales agent for medical services firm Stryker, Burcham said: “I’d love to have the dream journey back to the Premiership but when you’re playing regular rugby at a decent level and have a good job, I realise it’s actually very enjoyable.

“I’ve had a couple of offers from the Championship but nothing too substantial – I’d just love to do it with Blackheath.”

Three successive defeats mean Blackheath have a tall order, but Burcham added: “It’s been hugely disappointing to drop points and we’ve given ourselves a mountain to climb, but I still don’t believe we’re fully out of it.

“The top teams have to play each another and the league is so tight, so our target of playing at the next level is still alive.”