The start left Lions fans worried, with almost constant pressure from Newbold and the match played almost totally in the home half and 22. Within 10 minutes the away outfit were 11 points up, 2 penalties being supplemented by a try. On 30 minutes the Lions hit back, a try by George Tildesley wide on the left after a series of phases leaving the Lions at 5-14 behind. A Newbold penalty was then countered by another try from the outstanding Jasper Smith as the Lions came more and more into the game. A Murphy conversion left the scores tantalisingly close at 12-14 at the half.

The second half started as the first half had ended, with the Lions on top. A penalty from Murphy saw the Lions lead for the first time, but this was short-lived with a converted try by the away side taking them away to a 6 point lead. Back came the Lions with a second try by Tildesley after a series of drives and then a passing move for him to score in the corner. A fine conversion from Murphy saw the Lions lead again at 22-21 and another Murphy penalty stretched that to 25-21 and, seemingly, close to a much needed win.

Unfortunately fate took hold. A fine move left Freddie Morgan jinking his way to the line only to drop the ball in the act of scoring. This misfortune was compounded when Newbold scored 2 quick tries, one converted, to lead 33-25 going into injury time. All seemed lost, with no bonus points for the Lions, but a mighty last effort saw Ollie Bache go over and another fine conversion from Murphy gave at least the 2 points the Lions deserved at the very least. No cigar but the home side can be proud of their efforts and they will play worse than this and win.

Jon Dews