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CONTROVERSY AS LIONS SURRENDER LEAD
15 hours ago
SWINTON LIONS 20 WHITEHAVEN 22 IAN RIGG at Heywood Road, Sunday 21 July 2024 Whitehaven put in a super second half performance to take the points home and end the Lions decent run. The game in fact was like the first game of the season when again Haven bounced back to win the game. Both sides had early chances, but it was the Lions who took the lead when Jake Maizen failed to pick up a Jordy Gibson kick and Jayden Hatton scored by the posts and Dan Abram converted. Abram then added a penalty goal three minutes later for a ripped ball in the tackle. Gav Rodden thought he had scored a few minutes later but knocked on near the line. Will Evans went close but lost the ball near the line before the Lions went further ahead when Mitch Cox put out a nice pass for Lewis Hall to score under the posts and Abram again converted. The Lions then forced two goal line dropouts but could do nothing with either of them before Hatton had a second try cancelled out for being offside at the kick. Haven hit back eight minutes from the break when Lachlan Hanneghan danced his way through the Lions defence to score under the posts and Jake Carter converted. It was a good start to the visitors in the second half when Dan Abram fielded the kick off but the chaser was obstructed near the line and from the resulting penalty the ball was moved swiftly to the right and Neil Tchamambe dived in at the corner, but Carter could not convert from the touchline. The Lions tried to hit back and a good move involving Andy Badrock, Hall and Jake Spedding broke down when the ball fell behind Richard Lepori and the chance went. Spedding and former Lion Joey Romeo had a bit of a spat midway through the second half, and it was the Lions who went further ahead when another super measured kick from Gibson found the chasing Hatton and he again scored on the left with Abram converting. Six minutes later Maizen made a good break up the middle and found the supporting Carter who raced away to score under the posts. Carter added the conversion, and they were back within four points. The telling moment came with nine minutes left when Haven kicked to the corner and the ball seemed to have been collected cleanly by Hatton and as he tried to come away from the line, he lost the ball and Will Evans was on hand to collect it and scored on the right with Carter adding the conversion. The try looked controversial both in terms of a knock-on, and also a Swinton player touching down the ball dead first. The Lions tried all they could to come back in the dying minutes when firstly Rodden went for the line and lost the ball and then they were awarded a penalty for a high tackle on George Roby and Ryan King was sent to the sin bin for the tackle. With three minutes left it was the Lions last attack and Gibson almost pulled it off for the Lions going for the posts, but he too knocked on diving for the line and Haven went home happy. LIONS 1 Dan Abram 25 Richard Lepori 3 Jake Spedding 4 Jayden Hatton 5 Rhys Williams 16 Lewis Hall 7 Jordy Gibson 36 Jordan Brown 9 George Roby 20 Jack Houghton 11 Gav Rodden 21 Andy Badrock 12 Mitch Cox Subs (all used) 31 Ciaran Nolan 24 Jordan Case 8 Liam Cooper 26 Ant Walker Tries: Hatton (7,60), Hall (22) Goals: Abram 4/4 WHITEHAVEN 2 Jake Maizen 3 Joey Romeo 4 Will Evans 5 Curtis Tears 25 Neil Tchamambe 14 Jake Carter 7 Lachlan Hanneghan 8 Lucas Castle 15 James Newton 17 Ross Ainley 20 Owen McCarron 27 Lewis Baxter 11 Ryan King Subs (all used) 21 Rio Corkill 24 Lennie Ellis 16 Noah High 26 Huw Worthington Tries: Hanneghan (32), Tchamambe (42), Carter (66), Evans (71) Goals: Carter 3/4 Sin-bin: King (75) High Tackle Penalty count: 6-7 Half-time: 14-6 Referee: Cameron Worsley Attendance: 859 Scoring: 6-0,8-0,14-0,14-6,14-10,20-10,20-16,20-22
