Tough Going for Understaffed Kirky's Troops

With holidays, weddings and work commitments selection was a hard task for the season opener away at old rivals Blackburn, but 14 men were found, dug up, wheeled out and most importantly stepped up to the plate.

There was no denying the depth of the Blackburn squad with them having two games at home warming up with a squad of over 40 players but it's days like these that test what the Littlemoor men are made of ; and strong stuff it is.

Clitheroe started with the kick attacking the clubhouse end with the wiley experienced forwards of Andrew Rigby and Geoff Williamson making a nuisance at the breakdown, with their collective experience of 500 seasons between them they knew all the tricks to disrupt the young Burn lads.
With Burn's big lads trying the crash ball they found themselves running against the bigger immovable specimens of Richard Murray, Happy Peter Farnsworth and Skipper Kirk Kenyon. So with fifteen mins on the clock score at nil - nil there was some positivity in the camp.

But Burn went wide stretching the big experienced forwards & exposing the smaller back line who threw everything at it, but the overlap was their undoing. Three tries plus extras in ten mins was to be the way of things.

The maroons kept their heads up.

The debutante at hooker Tom Aspden looks a great talent: 18 year old, strong and mobile around the park, great throwing skills this will be a name to watch going forward. But alas, after a clash of heads with the skipper, he left the field for a HIA with the Burn physio.

After an 18 month sabbatical testing beer the maroons welcomed back Mitchell Jones to outside centre showing he still has the footwork and skills at this level but after a high tackle also joined young Tom with the Burn physio for a HIA .

So down to 12 the half time whistle couldn't come soon enough but not before burn added a couple more tries.

There wasn't much to say in the huddle they all knew the task at hand.

Blackburn kindly lent some players and our very own Sam White had managed to finish work and make it down there was a glimmer - small but there none the less - a glimmer.
With Dan Smith and Connor White screaming instructions from 9 and 10 the pack mobilised rolling back the years, rumbling strong and powerful, big clear outs,, clean ball for the nine.

Big carries from the machine that is John Bank, (who played all over the park 6,7,8,12,13 that we know of!) taking the crash. A little pop to the skipper , who set the burn big lad off load going to ground into Ralph Rigby whose feet remembered something from 1974 the clockwork was primed. And in what could be described as the slowest step known to mankind by some, sent the 18 year old Blackburn scrum half the wrong way as the clockwork Rigby sauntered past.
Smudge Smith was fast at digging the ball out at the next breakdown & pinged it down the line back to Connor White, who floated one over the top to Sam W - and he was off ; round the first, stepping the second & touching down to the left of the upright. Connor added the extras there was a fire in the belly again the maroons were on the scoreboard.
Burn replied with a couple tries before from the restart Phil Winstanley ,Austin Wensley and Jamie Taylor used some of there pace to open Burns' defence. Tenacious Barry Smith was creating holes and tackling everything.
Alongside them Dan Smith and Connor W filling in the blanks, as Connor went for broke to try and better his brother with an almost mirror try, but no extras.
Blackburn were to score again and the maroons were to lose big Geoff to a knock before the final whistle meaning only 11 of the starting team saw the final whistle in a game ended 86-12 to Blackburn there were some positives the scrum looked solid line out an odd tweek. The backs are becoming more versatile slotting into positions required at short notice and helping the forwards where needed heads never dropped despite the score line the maroons don't quit let's hope for a bit of luck for next weeks home visit by Fylde 4ths.

Report from KK