NORTH LANCS/CUMBRIA

Bury RUFC...8pts

Fleetwood...61pts

THE scoreline is not a true representation of the game, for much was to be taken from this performance from the Bury standpoint, writes MIKE JONES.

Bury could have opened the scoring after 12 minutes when centre Martin Freschini following up a high ball from flanker Bernard Robinson caught the full back in possession and the ball bobbled loose.

Fleetwood were glad to fly hack into touch and went on to open their account two minutes later when a penalty kick resulted in a line out and the scrum half and openside flanker linked to score a converted try.

Robinson got Bury to within four points with a converted penalty from 30 metres out in the 28th minute. Bury could have taken the lead had the match official not seen fit to disallow a perfectly good try from skipper John Westwood.

Coming off the side of a rolling maul he was half-tackled, but not held and landed on his back half a metre from the line and placed the ball over the line for a perfectly good score.

The referee deemed it a double movement, however, although he was unsighted.

Fleetwood worked their way back upfield and eight metres from the Bury line stand off Ben McDermott was adjudged to have killed the ball and Bury conceded a try from the resulting penalty.

Whilst the penalty was not in dispute, McDermott was sin-binned for the offence, harsh and incorrect for what was not persistent abuse of the laws.

Resuming after the interval with only a nine-point advantage, the Fleetwood team went up several gears and ran in seven converted tries.

Each in its own was well-taken, built on the platform of young, fast and practised threequarters coming through from last year's Under-19 development squad.

My only criticism would be that of the full back who contrived to get the Bury skipper dismissed from the game, having cleared to touch Westwood's tackle was marginally late and little more than a shove.

The full back went down as if poleaxed and then into full Thespian mode conning the referee.

There was at this point 20 minutes of the game remaining, but reduced to 14 men and a succession of injuries, Bury were now effectively dead in the water.

Bury scored a consolation try in extra time courtesy of Matt Fawcett.

One can only hope for better things in the future as at the moment Bury are missing nine regular first team players.

In conclusion no criticism could be levelled at the Bury players. They performed to the limits of their ability with total commitment.

Congratulations to Fleetwood, with their pack and Bury's threequarters, promotion would be assured.

BURY: Tattersall, Kelly, Smythe, Roberts, Kennedy, Robinson, Smithson, Westwood, Jackson, McDermott, Wardle, Freschini, Fawcett, Fielding, Ormerod. Replacements: Lawton, Leighton.

Tyldesley visit Radcliffe Road tomorrow in the league (kick-off 3pm). Bury have drawn Winnington Park in the second round of the Powergen Intermediate Cup.