Burnham made the long journey to Cuffley with high hopes and started the game with the wind in their faces and for the most part this Tetley Vase game was a struggle between two evenly matched sides.

Most of Burnham's useful possession came from line outs with Knapton and Lawrence being launched into aerial combat for supremacy.

Every attack Cuffley charged at Burnham was rebuked with hard tackling throughout the Burnham side.

Towards the end of the first half, Burnham had a line out near their own line.

They won the line out, but as the ball was passed back, it was dropped and a Cuffley player, diving through the line took advantage to score a try.

After a ruck close to Burnham's line after a breakdown, Cuffley were awarded a penalty try and took the score to 12-0.

Burnham looked to be making progress when disaster struck and prop Tonbridge had to leave the field with a knee injury and was replaced by Hooley.

Burnham attacked again, but luck was not to be with them and shortly after T Bennett received a blow to the face and had to retire with a nose injury.

This left Burnham with 14 men, as the first team had made the point of not starving the lower teams at Burnham of players by taking the number of replacements allowed to the fixture.

It remained a struggle for Burnham although Cuffley were unable to take full advantage of being a player up.

Burnham tried to run the ball back at every opportunity, with scrum half Burchell making snipping runs and centre, Limpenny, drawing on all his experience to try and pull the score back, but without reward.

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