Douglas slipped to fourth in Regional Two North West, but a solitary league point at Burnage could have been so much more.
Using the blustery conditions in their first-half favour to pin Douglas back, Burnage pressure and a Douglas error coughed up points early on.
An attempted kick out of defence turned sour and Burnage went through the phases before Ethan Brewster battled over in the corner for a fourth minute try which Burnage number 10 Grant Connon converted for 7-0. Matty Wood then showed his silky running skills after collecting a loose ball near the Burnage 22m.
A dart inside against the traffic and a couple of jinks past Burnage two defenders sent him in unopposed, and his two point conversion levelled matters at 7-7 after nine minutes.
Passes Going Astray
Douglas erred again with a quarter gone, a midfield pass going astray to give flanker Ethan Brewster a relatively easy hack-on to score. Connon added the extra’s for 14-7, and Burnage increased their lead after Douglas conceded a penalty and Connon kicked to the corner.
Two-metre-tall lock Callum Atkinson showed his lineout worth two weeks ago at Port-e-Chee, and again was a safe source of possession.
His soaring catch and a well drilled maul from the Burnage pack chalked up try number three in the corner. Connon missed the touchline conversion effort, but Douglas needed a boost at 19-7 and it came from full-back Sheldon Higgins. His abrasive running got Douglas going forward, and allied to Simon Hoddinott’s marauding nature with ball in hand, pressure in the Burnage 22m paid dividends.
Scrum-half Harri Wallace picked out Oli Corkish on front-foot ball and the burly winger blasted over for 19-12 with half-time just four minutes away.
Percy Hampton on for Brandon Hass a tactical change, and Burnage were as acutely aware that a 7-point lead was a miserly lead to take into the second period and upped the tempo. Number 8 Louis Hicks and hooker Jarney Chaudry drove on, and centre Joe Wrigley stormed on to a crash ball setup for a well worked try.
What Might Have Been
Connon converted, Douglas were looking at a 14-point deficit with the elements in their favour for 40 minutes, and Hoddinott soon got in on the act again. Liam Kirkpatrick stole loose ball from a Burnage lineout, and Hoddinott thundered through on the short pass to score near the posts.
Wood converted for 26-19 and it looked a very different ball game. Mark Oldfield and Craig Martin emptied the bench, and then Douglas exposed their Achilles heel.
The penalty pattern over the last few weeks has let opponents off the hook, and although reduced today, the timing and position of transgressions stunted momentum. Douglas couldn’t make the ultimate best of the elements, and when Burnage winger Stuart Oldham pounced on a try-scoring opportunity, Douglas were looking down a 33-19 barrel.
A penalty apiece from Connon and Wood for 36-22 with a quarter to go, and Douglas hooker Josh Campbell posted the bonus-point try with an unstoppable blast through two defenders. Wood’s conversion made it a one-score game at 36-29, and Burnage pieced together enough possession to frustrate the Douglas attack.
Burnage finished on top with a 74th-minute Oliver Fallon try in the corner, born of phase after phase of pressure, to leave Douglas wondering what might have been.
The final score was Burnage 41 – 29 Douglas.