BURNAGE 31, BURY 19: WITH no league commitment scheduled, Bury visited old adversaries Burnage, who gained promotion last year and are currently lying third in the table, for a friendly.

The visitors were unlucky to concede a try after only three minutes, from what looked like an obvious knock-on.

Burnage were obviously playing for keeps, as they fielded their full-strength first 15, but it became immediately apparent that Bury could match, and outplay the front five.

However, the opposition back row and three-quarter line were both pacy and talented.

In fairness Bury found it hard to adjust to the pace of play for the first 20 minutes, and the home side added to its tally, with the blind-side flank forward scoring an unconverted try after having linked with his three-quarter line.

Bury could have redressed some of the deficit two minutes later when open-side Morgan Reidy crossed the line but was held up. Bury then defended stoutly but conceded a try in the dying minutes of the half when a crossfield move from the home side, backed up by both the blind side wing and full-back , created the overlap for a score in the corner well converted from out wide.

Bury turned around 17 points an arrears, but were by no means outplayed.

Unfortunately the first choice out-half was injured and captain Bernard Robinson deputised and had a fine game both in defence and attack, but his presence in the pack was missed.

Bury sparked into life in the second half and following a driving maul, started by Ian Marshall and well backed up by his colleagues, they saw the ball rolled off and regained by Marshall again, who finished what he started by scoring in the corner, but the conversion attempt by Robinson hit the upright and went wide.

Burnage were clearly shocked and in the 55th minute a forward drive, followed by a pick up by Harvey Leeming, supported by Adam Lawton, was finished by that man Marshall again, who crashed over for another try. Robinson again hit the post with the conversion but this time it went over the bar.

Going into the final quarter of the game, Burnage had only been in the Bury half twice in the half, both times from restarts, and the margin was only five points.

But with the game there for the taking, two simple Bury mistakes, coupled with offensive talent, saw Burnage add 14 points in the space of two minutes.

But this Bury side is acquiring a more resistant and obdurate attitude, and rather than rolling over, decided to take the play to the opposition, and in the 72nd minute a move involving Morgan Reidy was rounded off with centre Chris Nuttall scoring his first senior try, converted by Robinson.

BURY: Marshall, Butt, Bailey, Wardle, Walsh, Reidy, Smithson, Green, Coburn, Robinson, Lawton, Nuttall, Leeming, Rigby, Jones.