MATCH REPORT – SWINTON LIONS VS WEST WALES RAIDERS
28 March 2022
SWINTON LIONS 82
WEST WALES RAIDERS 4
IAN RIGG Heywood Road, Sunday
The Lions kicked off their season in good style with an emphatic victory over the Raiders and the Lions wore yellow shorts in support of the Ukraine situation and the ground also dressed in new logos. It only took Liam Forsyth in his comeback game three minutes to score the opening try having not played for over twelve months and this was quickly followed by two more tries in a four-minute period with Jordan Case and Richard Lepori going over but Dan Abram could only add one conversion. Raiders had a chance on fourteen minutes when Josh Frost went close but good defence held him out. This was quickly followed by another Lions try when Max Roberts went in at the corner and then Mike Butt and Jack Hansen quickly followed with touchdowns but again only one conversion from Abram. Raiders substitute Lloyd Allen was sent to the sin bin for a high shot twelve minutes from the break and the Lions again hit them with more points when Abram and Butt both went in for tries and Abram converted both.
It was much of the same after the break with Roberts opening the scoring after three minutes and this was converted by Abram but in the build-up Nick Gregson was hit off the ball and Shane Lee was sent to the sin bin. Captain Rhodri Lloyd was next on the board for the Lions converted by Abram but when Lee returned for the Raiders he cut a big hole in the Lions defence but again good defence held him out. The Lions were soon back on the try trail when firstly Case sent Deane Meadows away to score under the posts and Abram converted again but then there was a thirteen minute purple patch when Lloyd scored from some good pressure on the line, Forsyth went in for his second after a good pass from Hansen and the Hansen himself found the line from close range and the a good passing movement was finished by Abram on the right with the full back converting them all to bring his points tally to thirty for the match, but Raiders never gave up for the whole of the game despite injuries and it was Macauley Harris who went over from close range in the very last minute but Lee was unable to convert as the hooter sounded but the Lions set a marker in their quest to return to the Championship.
MATCHFACTS
LIONS
1 Dan Abram
2 Mike Butt
4 Max Roberts
3 Liam Forsyth
5 Richard Lepori
13 Nick Gregson
7 Jack Hansen
19 Jose Kenga
9 Luke Waterworth
10 Lewis Hatton
11 Rhodri Lloyd
12 Mitch Cox
16 Louis Brogan
Subs (all used)
14 Matty Wilkinson
23 Jordan Case
20 Deane Meadows
17 Jack Spencer
Tries: Forsyth (3, 68), Case (7), Lepori (11), Roberts (17,43), Butt (22, 39), Hansen (23,73), Abram (31,76), Lloyd (46,63), Meadows (58).
Goals: Abram 11/15
RAIDERS
1 Dan Wilde
2 Sam Pridgeon
3 Josh Frost
6 Aedan Coleman
5 George Orriss
17 Shane Lee
4 Fergus Simpson
8 Luke Broster
9 Dafydd Phillips
15 Sam Herron
16 Will Odgers
18 Callum Mulkeen
11 Joe Burke
Subs (all used)
12 Macauley Harris
10 Darrel Moyle
13 Ben Jackson
14 Lloyd Allen
Try: Harris (79)
Sin-Bin: Allen (28) High Tackle
Lee (43) Late Hit
Penalty count: 6-3 Half-time: 40-0
Referee: Scott Mikalouskas Attendance: 853
SCORING SEQUENCE:4-0, 10-0, 14-0, 18-0, 22-0, 28-0, 34-0, 40-0, 46-0, 52-0, 58-0, 64-0, 70-0, 76-0, 82-0, 82-4