FOR the first time this season North Petherton came up against a young abrasive pack of forwards who would not lie down and fought hard against the Pethy 'machine'.

Playing up the slope, Pethy's forwards struggled to produce a good supply of quick ball. When they did, Webber directed them around the park with precision, resulting in Carter crashing over in the corner. Not converted.

The game then descended into a war of attrition, with both packs grinding out the hard yards and the backs content with aerial ping pong.

Cooper won two penalties for Burnham and kept Pethy pinned down in their half.

Pethy regained the lead just before the break when No8 A Gibbs powered over for his first try of the season. Again, unconverted.

In the second half, powerhouse Coles was sin-binned and. Burnham opted for the scrum, dispatching the Petherton 7 for a well-taken push over try. Not converted.

The home side clawed the lead back with two S Williams penalties, only to let Burnham in for a try scored by Streeter.

Pethy sprang into life and the pack lay siege to the Burnham line. After several attacks, Brown was held up, when clearly over the line.

The resulting scrum allowed a bit more Webber magic. He picked up Carter running a great line, who ghosted over near the posts. S Williams converted.

Both sides worked hard right to the final whistle, when there was jubilation for the home side.

On the whole it was a good team performance, with Webber outstanding, leading and directing with an experienced head.

Momentum is building, but the need to start securing bonus point wins, with four tries, is a point of concern.

If Petherton are to compete at the upper end of the league, then they must start putting sides away and capitalising on the new scoring system.

Team: T Williams, J Adams, M Stevens, M Foad, J Carter, A Webber, B Tracey, M Brown, A Gibbs, G Pettingal, M Coles, J Cox, K Prescott, S Williams, M Angel (capt). Reps: S Ranson, H Roberts, M Mcneillie