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3 weeks ago
10 May 2021
A great second half fightback by the Lions almost snatched the points from the Bulls in the last ten minutes and a Jordan Lilley drop goal midway through the half proved the winner in the end.
Swinton Lions 22-23 Bradford Bulls
The Lions started brightly and opened the scoring in the seventh minute when on loan Saints player Nico Rizzelli crashed over in the corner after some smart play by Geronimo Doyle but Martyn Ridyard was unable to add the conversion. Bulls tried to hit back and there was some good play by both Danny Brough and Lilley but ball handling errors in finishing off the good work let them down.
David Foggin-Johnston looked like he might score in the corner but the ball came loose as he went for the line, however in the next Bulls set hooker Thomas Doyle found a gap to score under the posts and Brough converted.
Deane Meadows should really have put the Lions back in the lead but his kick for the line was too strong and rolled dead. From the twenty metre restart Bulls went down field and Foggin-Johnston this time supported Brandon Pickersgill’s break to score in the left corner and Brough slotted the conversion from the touchline.
There was then another chance for the Bulls winger but the kick was too strong and Mike Butt also had a chance created by Jack Hansen but again too much speed on the kick.
It was Pickersgill who again created the next try when he broke free to feed Brough and he scored under the posts and converted his own try. The Lions were not lying down and with twenty seconds to go to the break Luis Roberts broke several tackles to score under the posts as the hooter sounded and Ridyard converted to put the Lions eight behind at Half-Time.
It was a scrappy start to the second half with the Lions knocking on at the kick-off and lots of lost ball from both sides, but it was the Bulls who scored first when Pickersgill got a deserved try but Brough failed to convert. Luis Roberts had to leave the field after a late hit on fifty-two minutes and never returned so the Lions had to regroup.
Then they lost Luke Waterworth who was sent to the sin bin for holding down and while he was off, Lilley added a drop goal to stretch the advantage. The Lions then had two good chances through Butt and Rhodri Lloyd and they added their fourth try when Rizzelli put in a nice reverse pass for Lloyd to go over in the corner and reduce the angle for Ridyards conversion.
Three minutes later they were in again when Lloyd this time made the break and fed the supporting Hansen who raced under the posts and again Ridyard converted to set up a grandstand finish. In the final few minutes the Bulls had another chance to score but Rizzelli was on hand to stop the attack by knocking the ball dead.
Ian Rigg at Heywood Road
LIONS
22 Geronimo Doyle
1 Mike Butt
3 Mitch Cox
37 Nico Rizzelli
25 Luis Roberts
6 Martyn Ridyard
7 Jack Hansen
15 Louis Brogan
9 Luke Waterworth
38 Sam Luckley
11 Rhodri Lloyd
19 Deane Meadows
13 Will Hope
Subs (all used)
24 Paul Nash
14 Billy Brickhill
8 Sam Brooks
39 Tom Spencer
Tries: Riizzelli (7), Roberts (40), Lloyd (68), Hansen (71)
Goals: ¾
Sin-Bin: Waterworth (58) Holding Down
BULLS
1 Brandon Pickersgill
2 Joe Brown
3 Rhys Evans
4 Ross Oakes
19 David Foggin-Johnston
6 Danny Brough
7 Jordan Lilley
24 Ben Evans
9 Thomas Doyle
10 Steve Crossley
16 Brad Gallagher
12 Aaron Murphy
15 Dan Fleming
Subs (all used)
34 Joe Burton
18 Ebon Scurr
11 Adam Rooks
23 Anthony Walker
Tries: Doyle (19), Foggin-Johnston (26), Brough (35), Pickersgill (49)
Goals: Brough ¾
Field Goal: Lilley – 1
