THUNDER TAKE THE POINTS BACK TO NEWCASTLE

Harry Higham on the way to the line – Photo credit GK Photography

SWINTON LIONS 4

NEWCASTLE THUNDER 36

IAN RIGG Heywood Road Sunday

Newcastle Thunder put in an impressive performance to leave the Lions still looking for their first points of the season. Cody Hunter put his side ahead in the sixth minute when he finished a nice move by the posts and Jack Smith converted. Four minutes he was in again when the Lions made a handing error in their own twenty and he again scored under the posts with Smith again converting. The impressive Harry Higham got the Lions on the board after he finished off a good movement on eighteen minutes, but Tom Ratchford could not convert. Thunder hit back straight away in the next set when Taylor Pemberton exploited a gap to score but Smith missed this conversion. The Lions then had a couple of good attacks, but handling errors let them down in good positions. Thunder hit back and this saw Sam Cook and Brenden Santi held up on consecutive tackles, but they did get over at the third attempt when some good line pressure saw Cook cross by the posts and Smith converted this one. Then with just seconds to go before the break winger Brad Ward finished off a good move to score on the right, bur again Smith was off target with the conversion attempt as the hooter sounded.

The lions started better in the second half but a good tackle on Wigan Warriors loanee Jack Purtill stopped him just short. Thunder then forced a goal line drop out but couldn’t make anything from it and then Joe Law made a good break and looked an all-out scorer but a superb tackle from Higham took him down short. Thunder came back again with another try on fifty-one minutes when Tom Inman darted over but again the conversion was missed. Lions prop Bobby Shingler was injured in a tackle on fifty-eight minutes, and the incident was placed on report and the player never returned from his assessment. Hunter scored his third try just after the hour when he went in from close range and this time Will Roberts converted. Thunder could have scored again virtually straight after the restart, but panic passing saw the ball go to ground. The Lions forced a goal line drop out nine minutes from time and from this Sainte loanee Luca Walsh went close as the Thunder defence held strong. Brenden Santi who had a good game too almost scored with seven minutes left but lost the ball going for the line. The final act fell to the Lions and Gav Rodden sliced though the defence in the final minute but a good tackle just metres short by Thunder fullback Jordan Lipp stopped him just short.

MATCHFACTS

LIONS

1 Louie Roberts

5 Harry Higham

20 Adam Jones

36 Deacon Connolly

2 Connor Parkinson

21 Tom Ratchford

35 Luca Walsh

33 Alfie Sinclair

9 George Roby

18 Bobby Shingler