Match Burning 101

As I was lighting some matches today, I was curious to discover what happens when a match burns backwards. Using a match to light the end of another, I realized it wasn't going to start burning so easily. Losing all patience, I decided to just turn it around and light it like normal. It was at this point that I burned the tip of my finger, for it never occurred to me (until my finger was burnt) that the other side - although I never got it to start on fire - was still hot.