A re-shuffle of players due to work commitments, holidays and hair appointments meant that no.8 Mark Friend slotted in at 12 and Simon Braithwaite was thrown straight back into the action following a career threatening eye injury suffered in pre-season.

Tavistock started with the elements against them but it was more the power and organisation of the Burnham pack that caused problems. A scrum on halfway led to a penalty which the home side kicked to the corner, a well drilled catch and drive resulted in Burnham crossing the line within the first 10 minutes. Unfortunately Tavistock could not get a foothold in the game and despite strong running from Dom Connor and Lewis Edwards they rarely ventured into the Burnham half.

A combination of set piece domination and poor tackling from Tavistock allowed a further flurry of try's; the home sides number 4 crossing twice with some silky footwork that Forsyth would be proud of and some blind side play from the home sides no.8 unleashed their winger to touch down in the corner. Later in the half injuries to Matt Martin and Doug Lloyd resulted in the bench being emptied earlier than coach Mike Lewis would have hoped. The half ended with some more encouraging play from Tavistock in the oppositions 22 with Dan Luffman and Dan Oner making good ground but without reward due to a solid Burnham defence.

The second half kicked off and Tavistock experienced a spell of dominance, threatening with ball in hand only to be halted by a wayward pass or turnover at the breakdown which squandered any potential opportunity for points. Burnham continued to play to their stengths and dominated the set piece: a scrum 10 metres from the Tavi try line was driven back and referee Spreadbury awarded a penalty try. From the restart Tavistock again asked questions of the Burnham defence, Josh Langton made inroads into the oppositions half supported by Ollie Thomas. Burnham held strong however and managed to turn over possession too easily. The quick turnovers allowed Burnham to launch dangerous counter attacks with their centre and winger crossing to the delight of the home crowd. Although Tavistock were 46-0 down with 10 minutes remaining they held out for the rest of the game with determined defence.

A disappointing result for the Tavi lads that made the trip to North Somerset albeit against a strong and well organisd side that will be very difficult to beat on their own turf. Tavistock will be working hard at training this week in anticipation of welcoming Western Counties newcomers Teignmouth at Home next Saturday, Kick off 3pm.