Somerset Premier
Minehead Barbarians 29, Burnham-on-Sea 31

BURNHAM-ON-SEA ended their 889-day wait for an away victory as they overcame Minehead Barbarians in a thriller on Saturday.

Burnham were playing up the slope in the first half but kept in touch through the boot of Tim Piper before Lee Vaughan’s converted try put the visitors 16-10 in front.

Minehead hit back to lead 17-16 at the break, but second half scores from Tom Stevens and Josh Holder put Burnham in the ascendancy and a further Piper penalty increased the advantage to 31-22.

Burnham had to withstand a barrage of late pressure and the Barbarians reduced the deficit through a penalty try.

The hosts launched another counter-attack but an infringement handed Burnham a penalty, which Piper gleefully cleared into touch to seal Burnham’s first win on the road since they were victorious at Chosen Hill in April 2016.

Delighted captain Ross McKechan said: “It was a nice feeling and we were made to work hard for it.

“They penned us in down the slope in the first half but we stayed in it and then scored some good tries to put some distance between us and them.

“The last 10 minutes were the most tense 10 minutes of rugby I’ve ever played, but we were able to hold on and there were some emotional scenes at the end.

“As good as it was, it means nothing if we don’t back it up on Saturday [at home to Wiveliscombe].”