BURY saw their promotion hopes disappear when Eton Manor scored the winning try in the 83rd minute of this bruising encounter. The home team, renowned to be a large physical side, totally dominated the Bury pack, and it was down to heroic defence and the attacking guile of the backs, that saw Bury come within a minute of stealing victory.

Eton Manor 22 Bury 19

BURY saw their promotion hopes disappear when Eton Manor scored the winning try in the 83rd minute of this bruising encounter. The home team, renowned to be a large physical side, totally dominated the Bury pack, and it was down to heroic defence and the attacking guile of the backs, that saw Bury come within a minute of stealing victory.

The first half saw Bury playing downwind, and early Eton pressure was allayed by excellent clearing kicking by Marius Van Den Berg and Chris Trede.

The power and strength of the home pack saw the Bury backs starved of quality possession, but against the run of play Bury secured three penalties, all 40 metres out, that Terblanche converted to open his account for Bury. The home continued to dominate possession, and only superb defence from Bury, with Dwain Brown and Corrie Beukies outstanding in midfield, stopping Eton from scoring.

Half-time saw the visitors holding an unlikely 9-0 lead, but the second half saw Eton start strongly, a successful penalty followed by a try leading from a dropped pass in the Bury midfield, and the home team reduced the deficit to one point. Bury responded with their best spell of the match, the pack, with Parkes and Geatches leading the way, finally securing some possession for their high-quality backs.

Bury won a penalty which Terblanche converted to extend the lead to four points. This seemed to galvanise the home team, and despite a flurry of yellow cards, the home team's outside centre produced a storming run that finally broke through the Bury defence, and it was converted to give Eton Manor a 15-12 lead with only 10 minutes remaining.

Bury responded in the spirit that has won them so many games this season, flanker Geatches making 40 metres in midfield, before offloading to Van Den Berg, who fed full-back Terblanche.

Excellent defence saw the move break down, but it was recycled, and player coach Brown burst through from 25 metres to score under the posts, Terblanche converting to give Bury the scent of an unlikely victory.

The final five minutes saw the home team dominate, both territorially and with possession, and the Bury pack were unable to cope with the power and strength of the Eton pack. Morgan Cross was yellow carded for a technical defence, and the home team scored with the last play of the game. An excellent conversion deservedly sealed the match for the home team, whose lowly league position belies the quality of their rugby.