LIONS OUT OF 1895 CUP – Swinton Lions RLFC

Charlie McCurrie on the charge *** Photo Credit Gareth Lyons ***

SWINTON LIONS 0

SHEFFIELD EAGLES 50

IAN RIGG Heywood Road Sunday

Eagles scored nine tries to progress to a first-round game against Rochdale Hornets in the 1895 Cup. A huge rainstorm about an hour before kick-off briefly put standing water on the pitch but this drained well and the sun came out just after kick off and the fans were treated to some good play. Both teams started well testing each other’s defences and George Roby and Ethan Fitzgerald had early chances Aaron Lynch kicked a forty-twenty on sixteen minutes to put the Lions in a good position but they spilled the ball and put Eagles on the attack and a couple of minutes later George Griffin opened the scoring after a good passing movement and Jordan Lilley converted. The Lions restart sailed straight dead and again Eagles moved up field and Masi Matongo was held up, but on twenty-three minutes Griffin grabbed his second try from a Lilley kick and Lilley himself converted again. It was all Eagles now as the Lions defence was being stretched and Lewis Peachey went close before Joe Brown couldn’t catch the ball to score in the right corner. Joel Farrell was then held up before Brown combined with Kieran Gill to see the centre score in the corner with seconds to go before the half-time hooter, but Lilley could not convert this one.

Eagles carried on at the start of the second half as they had finished the first with an early try from Jack Bussey who went in from close range and Lilley was on target again. Connor Bower went over on forty-eight minutes after Lilley and Gill combined on the right and Lilley again converted. Roby intercepted off his own line on fifty-four minutes and was the victim of a high shot from Corey Johnson and the Eagles man was sent to the sinbin. Deane Meadows looked to be scoring for the Lions on fifty-five minutes but knocked on going to ground the ball. Roby was then sent to the sinbin for something he said to the referee and within a minute Billy Walkley scored in the corner for Eagles and no conversion for this one from Lilley. Johnson then chased his own kick to score in the corner with ten minutes left and Lilley converted off the touchline. With five minutes to go Matty Marsh raced sixty metres to score in the corner and again Lilley slotted the kick from the touchline. The last Eagles try came in the last minute when a tired Lions defence allowed Marsh to score again this time on the left and Lilley again make no mistake with the kick just before the hooter sounded.

MATCHFACTS

LIONS

1 Louie Roberts

24 Ethan Fitzgerald

20 Adam Jones

36 Deacon Connolly

2 Connor Parkinson

21 Tom Ratchford

4 Aaron Lynch

17 Trent Kelly-Duffy

9 George Roby

15 Jamie Reddiciff