LIONS WIN TO SECURE DOUBLE OVER COUGARS

SWINTON LIONS 30

KEIGHLEY COUGARS 22

IAN RIGG Heywood Road Sunday

The Lions came out on top in an end-to-end thriller on a wet afternoon in Manchester which saw red and yellow cards brandished.Cougars had the early ball but on their first attack they knocked on in the Lions thirty. The Lions then forced a goal line drop out after Kenny Baker had gone close and they nearly scored from the drop out when Ethan Fitzgerald was going for the corner but lost the ball. Lions new loan signing Jonny Openshaw when on the field caused many problems for the Cougars defence. The Lions took the lead on thirteen minutes when Jack Stevens provided the pass for Ethan Fitzgerald to cut in from the right to score but Reece Briers was unable to convert. Cougars stand-off Izaac Farrell saw red on seventeen minutes for use of the knees in the tackle and within three minutes the Lions were over for their second when Adam Sidlow and Openshaw combined to get Stevens over and Briers converted. Gav Rodden went close before Cougars struck for their first when Brad England broke away to score and Matty Beharrell converted. The Lions came back just after the half-hour when Stevens again turned provider setting up Jordan Brown to score on the left and Briers converted. Three minutes later they were in again when Rodden broke and the move finished with Louie Roberts scoring under posts. Before the conversion attempt the game was stopped for about thirty minutes due to a medical incident in the crowd which required an ambulance. At the restart Briers converted and it was Cougars who managed another try before the break when Connor Sayner scored in the corner but no conversion.

The Lions started the second half camped on the Cougars line and Fitzgerald came close to scoring but was just knocked into touch as he went for the corner. Beharrell was sent to the sinbin for a late shot on Roberts on forty-seven minutes, but it was Cougars who scored a man light when Andy Gabriel intercepted and raced eighty metres to score in the corner, but Brad Holroyd could not convert from the touchline. Beharrell returned just in time to convert a penalty for lying on to bring the scores closer. Openshaw and Sayner were sent to the sinbin for fighting on sixty-three minutes and the penalty went to Cougars, but Beharrell missed. Briers landed a penalty for the Lions after he was hit late on sixty-six minutes. Cougars were not lying down and were on the attack just inside their own half and the Lions took advantage when Stevens intercepted a Beharrell pass to race forty metres to score under the posts and Briers added the simple conversion. But in the last five minutes more chances with Rodden making a break which ended with Openshaw being grounded just short and Cougars scored the last points of the game in two minutes from time when Junior Nuu scored on the left and Beharrell converted but it was just too late to affect the outcome.

MATCHFACTS

LIONS

1 Louie Roberts

5 Harry Higham

2 Ellis Anderson

22 Aaron Lynch

30 Ethan Fitzgerald

7 Reece Briers

6 Jack Stevens

20 Jamie Reddecliff

24 Jonny Openshaw

8 Adam Sidlow