RAMS CLAIM 38-24 VICTORY OVER LIONS AT TETLEY’S STADIUM

18 February 2019

Despite five tries, Swinton Lions fell short against Dewsbury Rams at the Tetley’s Stadium in round three of the Betfred Championship.

Swinton Lions travelled to Tetley’s Stadium to face Dewsbury Rams in round 3 of the Championship but fell short 38-24, despite crossing for five tries.

Two tries in the opening ten minutes for the Rams set the platform for what was in the end a hard fought victory for them. The game was played in bright sunshine but it was very blustery and both sides were having trouble controlling kicks.

Tom Garratt put the home side ahead after only three minutes when Adam Ryder broke through to send the huge prop on a run to the posts and Paul Sykes converted and seven minutes later it was Sykes himself who scored after good play by Simon Brown and the try scorer added his own conversion. The Lions hit back quickly from the restart when Liam Paisley, Liam Forsyth and Harry Smith combined to send Rob Fairclough over on the left and Smith added the conversion against the wind to put the Lions back into the contest.

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Forsyth went over the try line on twenty minutes only to be pulled for a forward pass and then the Rams came back again when Sam Day and Garratt were both held up. The Rams were getting all the luck on penalty decisions and the referee put the Lions on a team warning on twenty-five minutes and from this penalty the Rams went over again when Garratt scored from close range and Sykes again converted.

The Rams were ahead six penalties to nil ten minutes before the break but this changed when they were quickly penalised twice on their own line and the Lions made them pay when Kyle Shelford went through a big gap to score on the left but the kick from Smith went wide against the wind, and they could have had another try just before the break when Forsyth went over again on the right from a Smith floated kick but he was judged offside.

An incident went on report five minutes into the second half when Gavin Bennion hit Jode Sheriffe with a huge tackle and the Rams man didn’t know where he was when he got to his feet and had to leave the field for a head test to which he did not return.

The Lions hit back again three minutes later when Rhodri Lloyd scored near the left corner from a scrum move but the kick from Smith from the touchline just drifted wide in the wind and from the restart Jack Hansen knocked on to put the Rams back on the attack and this saw Garratt held up again but then the Rams got another penalty for holding down and Sykes added the two points.

Swinton were given another team warning on fifty-four minutes and again the Rams made them pay for the penalty when Robbie Ward crashed over for the try on the left and Sykes converted again. Fairclough was sent to the sin bin after the referee lost his patience but the Lions held the Rams out for eight minutes before Rob Worrincy intercepted a pass from a Lions attack on the Rams line and he raced full length to score and Sykes again converted.

The final Rams try came ten minutes from time when Owen Harrison scored under the posts with Sykes converting again to give his side a twenty-four point lead but the Lions came back with two more tries when Lewis Hatton scored by the posts with Smith converting and the Mike Butt scored in the left corner with one minute left but the conversion from Smith fell just wide but it was a good end to end match.

Ian Rigg reporting from the Tetley’s Stadium