LIONS DRAW AS VICTORY SNATCHED AWAY IN DYING SECONDS

SWINTON LIONS 22

KEIGHLEY COUGARS 22

IAN RIGG Heywood Road Sunday

A hat trick try from Cougars centre Oli Whitford with seconds left in the game snatched an unlikely draw for his side. The Lions went ahead in the second minute when a looping pass from Reece Briers found his winger Connor Parkinson who flew in at the corner. Briers had been hit late as he passed the ball out, but he dusted himself down to convert from the touchline. From the restart Cougars fullback knocked on in his own twenty and from the scrum some swift passing found Robinson again who scored in the corner and Briers converted again from the touchline. Emmanuel Wine had a glorious chance for his side on fifteen minutes to make a super break, but it took a super tackle to stop his progress. Cougars hit back on twenty-three minutes when George Flanagan went over from close range and Izaac Farrell converted. Another Cougars chance quickly followed but Max Clarke knocked on near the line. Louie Roberts extended the Lions lead nine minutes from the break when Jordy Gibson sent him through a gap to race over and Briers converted again. Farrell then had a chance just before the break but a great tackle from Fin Irwin shook the ball free. Try of the match came two minutes into the second half when Tom Ratchford scored a superb solo try on the right leaving tacklers in his wake to touchdown in the corner, but Briers was unable to convert off the touchline. Farrell was the creator of the next try sending David Foggin-Johnson over in the corner, but he was unable to convert. Lions forced a goal line drop out on fifty-nine minutes and from this both sides lost a player to HIA as Aaron Lynch and Foggin-Johnson clashed heads going for a kick and neither returned to the field. Cougars were playing some impressive rugby now and Brad Holroyd had a good chance but was tackled into touch. A good Cougars passing movement saw Whitford cross on the right, but Farrell was unable to convert. Waine went close again on sixty-three minutes but a great tackle from Roberts stopped him. Whitford then added a second with eleven minutes left from an overlap on the right but Will Groves who had taken over the kicking was off target with the conversion. Waine went close yet again with seven minutes left, but it was Whitford who dealt a blow to the Lions hopes of a first league victory when he finished off in the right corner, but Groves had the chance to win the game for Cougars but he was well off target and the hooter had already sounded.

MATCHFACTS

LIONS

1 Louie Roberts

2 Connor Parkinson

4 Aaron Lynch

20 Adam Jones

24 Ethan Fitzgerald

6 Reece Briers

36 Jordy Gibson

22 Jordan Brown

9 Josh Eaves

10 Ben Killan