THORNTON CLEVELEYS...3

BURY...20

BURY's visit to the Fylde coast was successful in so much that it adds two more points to their league tally and helps them to towards their only realistic target for this season of finishing in second place and so gaining a play-off with their Cumbrian League counterpart.

The manner of the win needs more detailed analysis as this team is under-achieving. Bury opened their account after seven minutes when Thornton were penalised after deliberately collapsing the maul and full back Keith Webb converted from 22 metres out.

What was immediately obvious was that Bury were enjoying complete domination in the pack, particularly the set scrum. They were providing a plentiful supply of ball to the three quarters who were not taking advantage.

The first try was a good piece of work from scrum half Glyn Smith and the pack. A good positional kick into the right corner forced Thornton to clear into touch, Bury took the line-out ball and with a controlled maul, No. 8 Freschini rolled off the fringe for a try converted by Webb.

Some five minutes later courtesy again of Freschini, this time coming from a set scrum and drive were Thornton were pushed back over their own line and the No. 8 dropped on the ball for a try.

With a 15-point lead and having played only a quarter of the game, this should have been a rout. The reason it was not was for two clearly identifiable reasons, one of which Bury could control, the other not.

The failure of the Bury threequarter line to rack up points, given the amount of possession the pack was providing can be changed if they adopt a different style of attack. Simple lines of running to create overlaps and second phase ball backed up by the loose forwards could be ac hieved with practice.

The current fixation of playing miss one, and inside crash ball is wasting the talents of out half Loftus and centres Webb and Leeming. The opposition can easily read these tactics and easily snuff out any threat.

It is not all gloom and doom, as a defensive unit the Bury threequarter line is probably the best in the league, but it is points that win prizes.

The low Bury score on Saturday was also attributable to the referee. The match official, who was in his playing days a first class flank forward and on previous showings extremely competent, fell into an old trap.

Knowing that the match result was a foregone conclusion, in an effort to keep the score within reasonable limits, he penalised Bury on every opportunity.

Thornton were to get their only points with a penalty from 27 metres when Bury were penalised for encroaching.

After the restart Bury continued to dominate, but tactical naivety stopped them from scoring at least 40 points. With complete forward domination they should have kept the ball tight and worked off the flanks. Old fashioned, but highly effective nine-man rugby.

The only score of the second half was from prop Ian Marshall and was a classic of its type. The Thornton set scrum was broken up in disarray from the Bury drive and Marshall, scaling some 19 stones, faced with the Thornton threequarter line, flicked them aside with the ease of a cow swatting irritating flies with its tail.

His reward for the try was to be substituted along with John Westwood and Glyn Smith. The thinking from the Bury manager presumably was to give all the replacements at least part of a game when the result was out of sight.

BURY: Smyth, Whitehead, Marshall, Kennedy, Smithson, Westwood (c), Freschini, Robinson, Smith, Loftus, Wardle, Webb I, Leeming, Stott, Webb K.

Bury travel to Heaton Moor tomorrow (kick-off 2.30pm) for the first of two games against the Stockport side in the next three weeks.