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Match Report – Swinton Lions vs Whitehaven

23 January 2022

SWINTON LIONS 28

WHITEHAVEN 22

IAN RIGG Heywood Road Sunday

The Lions came out on top in a highly entertaining game on a freezing afternoon. Both sides played virtually their full-strength squads and they all had good minutes on the pitch. Richard Lepori and Will Evans had early chances for their respective sides before Liam Cooper linked with Evans to score the opening try for Haven crossing by the posts on seven minutes and Alex Bishop converted. Bishop then had a good chance seven minutes later when he broke through only to lose the ball in a good position. The Lions hit back to level the scores when Louis Brogan scored under the posts after some good pressure, and this was converted by Dan Abram and the Lions took the lead on twenty minutes when Brogan sent Abram racing through a gap and he fed the ball to the supporting Lewis Else who beat a tackle to score on the left with Abram converting again.

Nikau Williams locked the scores at twelve all fifteen minutes from the break when he wriggled over from short-range following pressure on the line from a penalty and Bishop converted and with five minutes to go before the break Dave Eccleston escaped a tackle to score right in the corner, but Bishop could not convert from the touchline. Will Hope thought he had scored for the Lions just a few minutes into the second half, but he was offside.

Haven went back into the lead on fifty-one minutes when Kieran Hudson went over from a short pass by Bishop and the provider added the conversion to stretch the lead. Geronimo Doyle made a good break on fifty-three minutes only to be hunted down by Ben Heyes and from this passage of play the Lions went back up field and some good play by Rhodri Lloyd and Jack Hansen sent him over for the try to which Hansen converted. Four minutes later the Lions took the lead when Heyes sidestepped his was though a cluster of defenders to score by the posts and Hansen converted.

Tom Walker got over the line for Haven with twelve minutes left but was judged offside and the Lions had another chance when Andrew Bulman was forced dead in goal. The match winning try came with five minutes left when Heyes was involved twice in the build-up for Mitch Cox to go over on the left but Hansen was unable to convert this one.

MATCHFACTS

LIONS

  1 Dan Abram

22 Ben Heyes

  4 Max Roberts

  2 Mike Butt

  5 Richard Lepori

  6 Lewis Else

  7 Jack Hansen

17 Jack Spencer

25 Lewis Charnock

19 Jose Kenga

23 Jordan Case

11 Rhodri Lloyd

16 Louis Brogan

Subs (all used)

10 Lewis Hatton

  9 Luke Waterworth

18 Paddy Jones

13 Nick Gregson

12 Mitch Cox

20 Deane Meadows

  8 Will Hope

24 Jordan Brown

NN Harry Darby

Tries: Brogan (17), Else (20), Lepori (55), Heyes (58), Cox (75)

Goals: Abram 2/2 

Hansen 2/3

WHITEHAVEN

  1 Geronimo Doyle

  2 Dave Eccleston

  4 Will Evans

  6 Karl Dixon

  5 Andrew Bulman

23 Alex Bishop

  7 Nikau Williams

18 Guy Graham

  9 Callum Phillips

10 Tom Walker

11 Ryan King

12 Liam Cooper

20 Jake Bradley

Subs (all used)

13 Dion Aiye

17 Andrew Dawson

15 Connor Holliday

21 Kieran Hudson

  8 Liam McAvoy

19 Jake Moore

14 James Newton

16 Tom Wilkinson

Tries: Cooper (7), Williams (25), Eccleston (36), Hudson (51)

Goals: Bishop 3/4

Penalty Count: 7-7 Half-time: 12-16

Referee: Luke Bland Attendance:  377

SCRORING SEQUENCE: 0-6,6-6,12-6,12-12,12-16,12-22,18-22,24-22,28-22

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