On what was a stormy Saturday – Burnaby Lake the Men’s sides hosted a full slate of games against Surrey’s Bayside rugby club. The third division started the day off with a narrow win versus their counterparts. The first division lost a decision and the Premier men lost their encounter with a determined Bayside Squad. The women were on the island taking on Velox. The second division came away with a tie and the Premier women maintained their top spot with a win.
Back in Burnaby the thirds started the day off on the right foot. They won by a narrow margin to maintain their unbeaten record. Burnaby held on to shade the South Surrey side 13-10 despite a determined final push from Bayside. Good games were had by Dave Pankratz and Liem “Blue Steel” Jung. Joe Lee with a crucial kick.
In the first division game the boys had been without a game for two weeks and were shaking off the rust. Burnaby played valiantly, but it was not to be their day. The first went down 13-3. Great games were had by Big Nate and Mike Devlin.
In the premier match Burnaby started the game off on the right foot. Burnaby back row Scott Plumber was often first to the breakdowns drawing several hands on penalties. After turning the ball over, Burnaby would score first off of a break in the centres through the attacking combination of Adam MacClusky and Joe Dolesau. Esava Nakulanisa would finish it off with a crashing run breaking through two would be tacklers.
The half saw both teams take turns on attack. Each team would come close to the opposition’s line but neither defence broke. Burnaby would sail two penalty kicks wide while Bayside would miss one. The half ended 5-0.
The second half was much the same. Slippery ball limited continuous play while both teams jockeyed for field position. After some rough play near a breakdown, a double yellow card booking saw both teams go down one man and the field open up. This allowed for a more attacking oriented game rather than the war of attrition being waged. Burnaby would maintain their margin until Bayside executed a counter attack that caught Burnaby off guard. The ball was transferred to Bayside’s centre who would score on the sideline to tie the game.
Burnaby would press for a score, but Bayside sensed the momentum shift and took their chance. Before the game ended Bayside would score 10 unanswered points to win 15-5. Burnaby are disappointed to lose and will need to improve on their finish in the upcoming Premiership.
Good games were had by Dougie “Fresh” Breadon and John Decaire.
Thanks to the match officials and the supporters.
Burnaby Lake’s next match sees them off to the Island next week to take on James Bay.
Blue and White.
