Match Report – Dewsbury Rams 18-22 Swinton Lions

02 August 2021

Swinton’s season finally got off the mark with a dramatic victory in the dying seconds when Paul Sykes was going for a drop goal to win the game, but the ball bounced off Jack Hansen and he dribbled it up field to score in the corner as the final hooter sounded.

The Lions made a strong start and had a chance in the opening two minutes but it was brought back for a forward pass, however they did take the lead three minutes later when a good passage of play saw Rhodri Lloyd send his winger Owen Buckley swallow diving into the corner to score the opening try but Jack Hansen could not convert from the touchline.

From the restart Mitch Cox knocked on putting his side under pressure but the defence held out. Rams took the lead on nineteen minutes, and this too came from a Lions attack that broke down in the Rams ten with Matt Fleming scooping up Cobi Green’s kick to race eighty metres to score despite a great effort by Louis Brogan to knock him into touch and Paul Sykes added the conversion.

It got better for the home side twelve minutes from the break when some good pressure on the line saw Jon Magrin crash over by the posts and Sykes added the simple conversion. It was the Rams who finished the half stronger trying to capitalise on some Lions errors with the ball, but the defence held.

Rams had a player put on report in the opening minute of the second half for a possible crush tackle on Deane Meadows, but it was the home side who stretched the lead when Sam Day went over from close range on forty-three minutes and Sykes again converted. The Lions messed up again from the restart and this allowed a chance for Andy Gabriel but it took a great tackle by Mike Butt to stop him scoring.

Tempers were starting to boil, and Rhodri Lloyd was sent to the sin bin for a late attack on Day and then three minutes later Sykes was sent to the sin bin for an attack on Lewis Hatton. The Lions then hit a purple patch when Hansen took control to firstly create a try for Brogan who went in by the posts and Hansen converted and then on fifty-five minutes, he created one for Mitch Cox converting this one too.

Rams then tried to fight back but Chris Annakin was held up and Joe Martin sailed through a gap only to be brought back for obstruction in the build-up. The Lions forced a goal line drop out five minutes from time and a minute later Will Hope was hit off the ball dead centre of field thirty metres out and Hansen added the penalty conversion to level the scores at 18-18.

Then came the drama in the dying minutes when firstly Sykes tried to win it with a couple of drop goal attempts but the second one hit Hansen and propelled past the Rams defence for Hansen to dribble to the line and score in the corner with the large following of Lions fans going ecstatic on the terraces, Hansen then missed the conversion but it didn’t really matter.

Ian Rigg at The Tetley’s Stadium

RAMS

4 Matt Fleming

2 Andy Gabriel

34 Robbie Storey

18 Davey Dixon

27 Lewis Carr

6 Paul Sykes

1 Joe Martin

23 Jon Magrin

33 Dom Speakman

10 Tom Garratt

35 Sonny Esslemont

12 Michael Knowles

13 Chris Annakin

Subs (all used)

14 Sam Day

20 Aaron Hall

25 James Thornton

32 Jimmy Beckett

Tries: Fleming (18), Magrin (27), Day (42)

Goals: Sykes 3/3

LIONS

22 Geronimo Doyle

38 Owen Buckley

11 Rhodri Lloyd

3 Mitch Cox

1 Mike Butt

7 Jack Hansen

18 Cobi Green

16 Paddy Jones

9 Luke Waterworth

10 Lewis Hatton

15 Louis Brogan

12 Nick Gregson

13 Will Hope

Subs (all used)

19 Deane Meadows

40 Ronan Michael

39 Tom Spencer

24 Paul Nash

Tries: Buckley (4), Brogan (52), Cox (55), Hansen (80)

Goals: Hansen 3/5