Lions v Moseley Oak

LIONS MAKE IT THREE WINS OUT OF FOUR

The Lions made it 3 wins in a row with a comfortable victory over Moseley Oak at Stourton Park. The 32-7 victory was not easy going, however, with the home side gaining the upper hand only in the second half.

The first half was a tight affair, with both sides having their moments and pressing for the opening score. It was the Lions who opened the scoring when, after bursts of pressure, they were awarded a penalty after 15 minutes and Will Tibbetts stroked over the penalty for a 3-0 lead. Thereafter defences managed to hold out relatively comfortably until on 35 minutes a poor kick out of defence allowed the away full-back to side-step through a disorganised Lions defence to put his number 6 under the posts for a converted try.

The second half began with the added experience of Ben Tibbetts at 9 and the pressure he and the pack exerted bore fruit almost immediately. On 6 minutes a lineout catch and drive towards the line left Matt Poole the try, converted by Will Tibbetts gave the Lions a 10-7 lead which they never surrendered. Just 4 minutes later a move from halfway left an overlap on the Lions right for George Tildesley to stroll in for a try, converted by Tibbetts, leaving the Lions 10 points clear.

Despite some resistance from Mosley Oak the Lions now had the bit between their teeth and a further try 2 minutes later, courtesy of a team try finished off by prop Tim Daly effectively ended the competition with the home side 22-7 up. A yellow card for Jack Noott slowed the Lions down somewhat but they still managed a 4th score for the bonus points when Alfie Smith touched down after a scrum near the away line and a break left. The final try was scored by Fred Brooks who powered over on the Lions right for an emphatic 32-7 scoreline, maximum points and 3rd place in the table.

Considering that there are players yet to return from injury in both forwards and backs this was a good win against a side that normally proves too strong. Good performances all round, particularly from the forwards, have given the Lions a much better start than last season. There is much to build on but things are looking up for the squad.

JON DEWS