BURY...5 BURNAGE...10: BY anybody's standards this was not not a great spectacle, although in fairness to both sides, the conditions made any attempt at constructive rugby somewhat futile.

The wind favoured neither team, although Burnage did make better use of it, with some astute kicking from their half-back pairing.

The game, however, was played in the middle third, with only occasional incursions into attacking positions.

One of these resulted in the only score of the first period when, in the 36th minute, a slick handling move between the visitors' half-backs saw the stand-off score an unconverted try.

Bury, who would have expected to have dominated up front, struggled, particularly in the set scrum.

This was not helped by the fact that captain John Westwood and Sammy Kelly were propping, with John Sheppey at hooker.

Westwood is an outstanding back row forward, and Sammy Kelly an accomplished hooker, but a combination of injury and unavailability, allied to the League requirement that all front row players should be both experienced and competent, though both of these are, they unfortunately lacked the necessary weight.

Similarly, second rows Martin Kennedy and Andrew Smith, while highly competent in the line-out, are again a little on the light side.

Burnage doubled their score in the 57th minute with a try by the outside centre, having out-flanked the cover to score in the left corner, unconverted.

To their credit Bury refused to roll over and, after a period of sustained pressure, were rewarded by a succession of scrums and penalties.

From one of these scrums in the 65th minute, Livesey released the three-quarter line and the Bury left wing scampered in for an unconverted try in the corner.

A converted try would have given Bury victory, but despite a valiant effort over the remaining 15 minutes of the game, it was to elude them.

There is no first team action this weekend.

The second XV lost to a strong Glossop team 5-24. When the two teams met earlier in the season, Glossop's winning margin was in excess of 60 points, so progress has been made.

The third XV put Ormskirk to the sword, winning 64-0. A remarkable scoreline from a team that at its inception in 2003 was considered cannon-fodder.