Last week’s tough outing against Thurrock left plenty to work on. With midweek training cancelled and local rivals Maldon visiting, coaches Katherine and Dan had only the pre-match warm-up to draw out the lessons from defeat and, just as importantly, rebuild belief in their U10s.

Maldon had been a formidable away fixture earlier in the season, and with Harry, Jenson and Jack all unavailable, Burnham could have been forgiven for feeling a few nerves. What followed was anything but nervous. Instead, Maldon were met by a resurgent Burnham U10s side who delivered a masterclass no one saw coming.

Back in the early-season encounter, Burnham’s brave young squad were still finding their feet with rucking and struggled to match the physical presence of a powerful Maldon team. This time, the contrast could not have been sharper. From the opening whistle to the final play, Burnham looked like a team with something to prove. Fast. Aggressive. Fearless.

Not a backward step was taken. Every single player stepped up with huge commitment, delivering fierce tackles followed by aggressive, well-timed rucking, recycling the ball quickly to waiting support players out wide.

Time and again, the ball was moved cleanly along the attacking line — another milestone for a team still developing its game — and the rewards were clear. Tries flowed, with every player getting on the scoresheet in a complete all-round team performance and multiple trips over the whitewash.

It was, without doubt, the most accomplished display of the season so far — a true “coming of age” moment for this group. Katherine and Dan were rightly delighted, praising the intensity in the tackle, the commitment at the breakdown, and the confidence the players showed in trusting their skills and each other. And with Jenson, Harry and Jack still to return, things can only get better!

Player of the Week went to Henry, a choice enthusiastically predicted by his teammates as he left the pitch. Extra practice at home has clearly paid off, with Katherine singling out his growing confidence and energy. He was relentless in the tackles, committed quickly to rucks, was intelligent in taking up positions in defence and attack and scored some excellent tries.

If last week raised a few questions, this week Henry and his awesome teammates delivered the answers in style.

Well done Henry.
Well done Mighty U10s.

A brilliant performance.