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The smell of the wintergreen
and the roar of the Shed!! The
queue for the pie shop stretches almost as far as the eye can see.
The sun is shining and the pitch is a patchwork of green.
At last the new season is upon us, and the Lions and the Blues
served up a tasty little starter to set the taste buds drooling at the
prospect of what is to come.
An intriguing encounter saw
Lions take a commanding lead, only to have two men sent to the sin bin in
a pulsating second half that saw Bedford claw their way in to the lead,
only to be denied at the death by a last minute Lions’ try.
Injuries to key players meant
that several new faces were given an opportunity to show their paces, and
they also meant an opportunity for a not so new face. Yes,
Eddie Saunders is back………again!!
The grand old man of rugby dusted off his boots and donned the
Lions shirt, having said at the end of last season that he would turn out
in an emergency. I bet he
never thought it would be in the opening game of the season!!
The large contingent of Bedford
supporters were soon airing their vocal chords after the long summer break
with only the wife or husband or partner or dog to shout at.
The first action saw Bedford scrum half Stephen Bell earn the
referee’s displeasure after the touch judge’s intervention.
Richard Davies’s penalty took Lions into Bedford territory, where
another infringement gave Davies the first opportunity to put points on
the board with only 2 minutes on the clock.
His 40 metres kick was straight and true to give Lions the
lead.
A good restart kick had Lions
under pressure leading to them being penalised and an opportunity for
James Pritchard to level the scores.
However, he pushed his 30 metres kick wide.
When Bedford were penalised, Richard Davies hammered the penalty 70
metres, but sadly it failed to find touch and eventually ran dead to give
Bedford the scrum back.
Mark Meenan was testing the
Lions with some telling kicks from fly half, but Pete Roberts looked safe
and assured as the last line of defence.
Lions were coping admirably in the lines against a massive Bedford
back five, with Steve Smith and Chris Jones doing sterling work to pinch a
few Bedford throws. It was one such Steve Smith steal (try saying that after a
few pints of Guinness) that set the platform for Lions’ first try.
A beautifully weighted up and
under by Richard Davis saw James Pritchard fumble the catch with Eddie
Saunders bearing down on him at a great rate of knots. Stuart Potter was
on hand to take advantage of a kindly bounce and drive deep into Bedford
territory before slipping a pass to the supporting Sam Tovo to power his
way over. Richard Davies
sliced the relatively easy conversion wide as it was almost charged down.
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Over you go Sam -
great support from Walsh, Pilkington & Potter |
Lions’ defence was looking
sound against some determined Bedford forward drives, and they gained
relief with another booming Richard Davies penalty to the corner.
Steve Smith took the clean catch and the forwards drove on, but
were forced into touch by the heavier Bedford pack.
Yet another Steve Smith steal (even more difficult to say after yet
another pint of Guinness) saw Lions driving in again, and when Bedford
were penalised for stopping the move illegally, Richard Davis stroked over
his second penalty.
Bedford were stifling Lions
with their loose forwards playing it very close to the offside edge around
the fringes of the mauls. We’ll
give them the benefit of the doubt just as the referee did.
The close attention of the loose forwards caused Tom Walsh at scrum
half to hurry a clearance kick to put Lions under pressure.
They were penalised in trying to tidy things up, and this time
James Pritchard made no mistake with the kick to put the first Bedford
points on the board.
Phillip Clarke took a good
catch from the kick off and drove into Lions, but was soon going back the
way he came as Sam Tovo hit him like a steam hammer.
Lions were penalised as they tried to take advantage, and Bedford
were able to clear to half way.
Another Sam Tovo hit on halfway
led to some footwork on him that Chris Jones took exception to, and
although Lions had been awarded a penalty for an earlier offence, this was
reversed. A measured kick to the corner set up a Bedford line, but the
throw was crooked, and Sam Tovo tidied up some scrappy ball at the base of
the scrum to allow Richard Davies to clear to half way.
Back came Bedford.
A beautifully judged high kick to the corner by Mark Meenan saw
full back James Pritchard steal in at pace between the Lions’ full back
and winger to take the ball on the full in his stride and cross round
behind the posts for an excellent try.
He also added the conversion to pull Bedford back to within a
point.
Then came a body blow to Lions
as Sam Tovo took a blow to the body making another big hit and had to
leave the field to be replaced by Paul Thompson.
Bedford were looking for another score but some resolute Lions’
defence kept them at bay. The
pressure was eased by a lightening break by Tom Walsh, and good support by
Lions almost saw Eddie Saunders away, but the final pass went to ground.
However, the referee brought Lions back for an earlier
infringement, and Richard Davies again drove home the penalty.
Now it was Lions turn to apply
the pressure and a high Tom Walsh kick was not taken cleanly by the
Bedford defence under pressure. The
ball was picked up by another Bedford player in an offside position, but
the referee chose to let play go on.
Why he did not give a knock on, forward pass or offside will remain
one of life’s mysteries………just like why they bother to screw down
coffin lids.
Lions were looking for another
score as half time approached, and a free kick from a scrum deep in
Bedford territory saw the forwards driving in.
When Bedford were penalised the attempt at goal was spurned in
favour of a kick to the corner. The
decision looked a good one as Chris Jones took an excellent catch at the
line, but the subsequent drive by the forwards was forced into touch as
the referee brought an entertaining first half to a close.
| Half time |
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| Lions |
14 |
Bedford |
10 |
Lions started the second half
as they ended the first with the forwards driving in, but the Bedford
defence was in no mood to give ground, and they gained the scrum put in
when the drive was halted. Another
audacious cross field kick was well taken by Eddie Saunders, and a typical
mazy run showed the old master has lost none of his speed and flair.
It’s just that he can’t turn it on that often and he has to
have rests in between……just like other things when you get to a
certain age.
Lions now attacked wide, but
the chance looked to have been lost as Bedford stole the ball.
However, they chose to run the ball clear, and with Jason Britten
harassing, the ball was dropped……..understandable in the circumstances……Jason
Britten in full flow is the stuff that nightmares are made of. Ian
Hyde was on hand to pounce on the loose ball and drop over the line for an
opportunist try. Richard Davis duly converted.
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Ian - you've never
had it so easy!! |
Lions’ tails were now up………not
a pretty site if you’ve ever seen a Lion with its tail up…..and
Bedford were penalised for taking the man out at the line out.
Another beautiful strike by Richard Davies extended Lions’ lead
to 14 points.
Desperate measures were called
for by Bedford, and they were taken in the form of wholesale replacements
with 5 players being substituted in one fell swoop…..or was it a foul
swop. Whatever it was, Lions
took it in their stride and a Pete Roberts’ drive from a Bedford kick
led to another Bedford misdemeanour and another 3 points from the trusty
boot of Richard Davis.
Richard’s kicking out of hand
was emulating his place kicking as another long range effort drove Bedford
back 60 metres. Now the fresh
legs of the Bedford replacements were beginning to pay dividends, and the
rest of their bodies were also chipping in.
A lovely line out take and superb rolling maul by the forwards took
them deep into Lions’ territory. Lions
defence was penalised, and the kick to the corner saw another text book
take and drive. This time
Lions had no answer as Lawrence White claimed the try.
James Pritchard’s conversion drifted wide.
Marek Kwisiuk replaced Jason
Britten who had enjoyed an excellent first game for Lions.
Again Lions were penalised for coming in 0n the wrong side of the
ruck, and again Bedford opted for the kick to the corner.
Things were getting tense now, and as Bedford drove in, fists were
soon flying, and Ben Buxton, the Lions’ prop, was adjudged to be the
guilty party in the general melee and was given the opportunity to
contemplate his sins with 10 minutes in the bin.
Bedford now not only had the
bigger, heavier pack, but they also had a man advantage, and they used it
to good effect. Lions were
penalised for taking the maul down, and the kick was tapped into the
corner. Again Lions were
penalised in trying to repulse the next Blue wave, and again the kick was
tapped into the corner. At
the third time of asking the referee lost his patience and awarded the
penalty try, with James Pritchard adding the conversion from in front of
the posts.
A good break by Matthew Cook
saw him kick over James Ogivie-Bull, but a blatant body check stopped the
flanker in full flow, although his reaction was worthy of an Oscar.
None the less, James was next to receive a yellow card, and Lions
were down to thirteen men. Bedford
sensed the kill and the penalty was driven to the corner.
You’ll never guess
what happened next!?!?! Right
first time…….line out, catch, drive, try.
The scores were now level, but James Pritchard’s conversion
attempt from close to touch drifted wide.
The wheels had really come off
for Lions now, but as Bedford attempted to move the ball wide to take
advantage of their numerical superiority, an Ian Hyde tackle typified the
Lions’ spirit as he drove his man back in the tackle.
More brave defence by Lions meant no more scores before Ben Buxton
returned to the fray from the sin bin, and Neil Williams replaced Bennett
Smith.
However, the respite was short
lived as Bedford drove in again, and as the Lions’ defence was sucked
in, James Shanahan took advantage of a huge gap to race over and put
Bedford in front for the first time.
The conversion was missed.
Time was now running out for
Lions, but at least they were back to full strength with the return of
James Ogilvie-Bull, who quickly turned from villain to hero. Lions
forced a Bedford error from the kick off, and the scrum heel saw Pete
Roberts driving down the right. Quick
ball saw the ball swung crossfield to the left to give James Ogilvie-Bull
the opportunity to barge his way over in the corner with 3 defenders
hanging on to him.
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Bully makes amends
- lynch mob stood down |
With the scores level the crowd
was hushed as Richard Davies teed up the potential match winning
conversion from the touchline. Unfortunately
(or fortunately if you support Bedford) the kick was sliced as Richard
hurried the execution in the face of charging Bedford players.
There was no time for any more
action as the referee drew a very entertaining encounter to a close.
| Final result: |
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| Lions |
32 |
Bedford |
32 |
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| Lions 2
points, Bedford 3 points ( 4 tries) |
So Lions start their campaign
in National Division 1 with a draw, but no doubt they will be disappointed
that it wasn’t a win. However,
there was much to savour in a gutsy performance by the whole Lions team.
Hopefully next week’s competition for places will be hotting up
as the long injury list shortens with the likes of Tim Collier, Rob Field,
Paul Shadbolt, Phil Greenbury, Matt Williams, Ben Lewitt, Michael Dods and
Nopera Stewart hopefully coming back into contention.
The foundation has now been laid and we have the material to build
on it. Another home fixture
next week provides an ideal opportunity to lay the next blocks in the
plan.
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