Hawkins left crest-fallen as miss is costly
Bury St Ed ……34 Barnes …………36
BARNES finally broke their Haberden hoodoo with their first win at Bury St Edmunds in seven visits.
The visitors, on the back of a determined performance did just enough to take the spoils in this tentry thriller.
In a match where the lead changed hands five times, Barnes survived a last gasp try from Bury; had Kodie Hawkins' touchline conversion gone over the game would have ended a draw but as the kick fell agonisingly short the Londoners could celebrate.
Bury had burst out the blocks opening the scoring after just five minutes, Hawkins rounding off a flowing move.
Perhaps the score came too quickly as Bury fell into a malaise that Barnes exploited. Hawkins and Josh Hammett both landed penalties, but Matt Steele's converted try sent the visitors into the break leading 10–8.
The second half again saw Bury open the scoring, Ben Leng grabbing the first of his two tries, but it was Barnes that dominated the next 20 minutes.
Despite being under pressure in the set piece Steele and Davies pushed their side on.
So many passes were made at pace on the gain line and Bury struggled to hold on.
Tries for Cam Ruddock and James Adams looked to have put them out of sight.
Leng dragged his side back into it and when Tom Milosevic crashed over on 70 minutes the scores were level.
Greg Davies, who had been a thorn in Bury's side all day, burrowed his way over by the posts on 75 minutes to all but seal it.
And though Milosevic's break was rounded off by Angus Walshe in the last minute of the game, Hawkins could not convert and Bury were left to rue a haphazard display.
TEAMS
BURY ST EDMUNDS: Affleck, Leeson, White, Leng, Meikle, Drury-Hawkins, Harvey, Robinson, Walsh, Cooper, Leo, Browne, Brown, Milosevic, Wilson
Replacements: Bursey, Gardner, Cooper, Watson, Du Rant
BARNES: Hammett, Simmons, Salisbury, Weightman, Adams, Strang, Davies, Hunter, March, McArthur, Seabright, Collins, Harbison, Scott, Steele
Replacements: Boaden, Ruddock, Van Buuren, Avis, Ruddock
REFEREE: Matthew Sharpe
ATTENDANCE: 447
Star man
Josh Davies – Barnes
