**** Photo credit MKS Photography ****
HALIFAX PANTHERS 30
SWINTON LIONS 22
Ian Rigg The Shay Sunday
A try from Panthers Ben Crooks five minutes from time secured victory in a pulsating end to end encounter. Louie Roberts almost put the Lions ahead in the third minute, but he knocked on trying to score on the right. Panthers forced a goal line drop out on five minutes and within a minute Adam O’Brien put his side ahead scoring by the posts and Darius Carter added the conversion. Vila Halafihi and Jacob Fairbank were both held up after some good Lions defence before Jordy Gibson dribbled the ball through the Panthers defence to score on the left and he added the conversion to level the scores. Panthers then hit back with two tries in a three-minute period then Ben Tibbs scored in the right corner, and this was followed by a Will Calcott effort by the posts. Carter converted one of them. Aaron Willis then lost the ball going for the corner four minutes from the break.
Panthers made a good start to the second half with pressure on the line, but again the defence held out. The Lions hit back when Wigan loanee Mike Porter crashed over by the posts following some good pressure and Gibson converted. Panthers stretched their lead on fifty-one minutes when former Lions loanee Leon Cowen went over from short range and Carter again converted. The Lions then levelled the scores with two tries in a four-minute period with firstly Reece Briers floating a kick to the corner and Pat Ah Van jumped highest to score in the corner, and then some good pressure from a goal line drop out saw Fin Irwin score on the left and Gibson converted one of them. Panthers then regained the lead on sixty-four minutes after a penalty at the play the ball and Carter added it. It was then end to end in the final ten minutes as both sides tried to secure a victory, and it was Panthers that did this when Crooks found a way to cross for the try with five minutes left and Carter converted again to secure victory.
MATCHFACTS
PANTHERS
5 Lloyd Roby
2 Ben Tibbs
11 Ben Crooks
22 Darius Carter
4 Alfie Johnson
6 Jesse Soric
20 Vila Halafihi
23 Leon Cowen
9 Adam O’Brien
21 Ben Forster
15 Connor Davies
10 Jonny Vaughan
13 Jacob Fairbank
Subs (all used)
00 Jensen Windley
3 Ben Will
19 Zack McComb
8 Will Calcott
Tries: O’Brien (6), Tibbs (27), Calcott (30), Cowen (51), Crooks (75)
Goals: Carter 5/6
LIONS
1 Louie Roberts
34 Pat Ah Van
4 Aaron Lynch
20 Adam Jones
5 Harry Higham
6 Reece Briers
36 Jordy Gibson
8 Sami Kibula
9 Josh Eaves
18 Bobby Shingler
26 Charlie McCurrie
12 Aaron Willis
31 Fin Irwin
Subs (all used)
21 Tom Ratchford
38 Mike Porter
28 Leo Wadsworth
17 Trent Kelly-Duffy
Tries: Gibson (22), Porter (45), Ah Van (59), Irwin (63)
Goals: Gibson 3/4
Penalty count: 11-8 Half time:16-6
Referee: Matty Lynn Attendance: 1429
SCORING SEQUENCE: 6-0, 6-6, 10-6, 16-6, 16-12, 22-12, 22-16, 22-22, 24-22, 30-22
