Haven lose out in Second pre season game
Swinton Lions came out on top in a highly entertaining game on a freezing afternoon.Haven picked as 21 man squad giving a first run out for Geronimo Doyle ,Will Evans , Ryan King , Liam Cooper , Jake Bradley and Keiron Hudson
Richard Lepori and Will Evans had early chances for their respective sides before Liam Cooper linked with Evans to score the opening try for Haven crossing by the posts on seven minutes and Alex Bishop converted. Bishop then had a good chance seven minutes later when he broke through only to lose the ball in a good position. The Lions hit back to level the scores when Louis Brogan scored under the posts after some good pressure, and this was converted by Dan Abram and the Lions took the lead on twenty minutes when Brogan sent Abram racing through a gap and he fed the ball to the supporting Lewis Else who beat a tackle to score on the left with Abram converting again.
Nikau Williams locked the scores at twelve all fifteen minutes from the break when he wriggled over from short-range following pressure on the line from a penalty and Bishop converted and with five minutes to go before the break Dave Eccleston escaped a tackle to score right in the corner, but Bishop could not convert from the touchline. Will Hope thought he had scored for the Lions just a few minutes into the second half, but he was offside. Half Time Lions 12 Haven 16
Haven went back into the lead on fifty-one minutes when Kieran Hudson went over from a short pass by Bishop and the provider added the conversion to stretch the lead. Geronimo Doyle made a good break on fifty-three minutes only to be hunted down by Ben Heyes and from this passage of play the Lions went back up field and some good play by Rhodri Lloyd and Jack Hansen sent him over for the try to which Hansen converted. Four minutes later the Lions took the lead when Heyes sidestepped his was though a cluster of defenders to score by the posts and Hansen converted.
Tom Walker got over the line for Haven with twelve minutes left but was judged offside and the Lions had another chance when Andrew Bulman was forced dead in goal. The match winning try came with five minutes left when Mitch Cox scored on the left but Hansen was unable to convert
After the game Haven Coach Jonty Gorley put the defeat down to an increasing number of Unforced errors in the second half but said he was encouraged with a number of individual peformances on the day
WHITEHAVEN
1 Geronimo Doyle , 2 Dave Eccleston , 4 Will Evans , 6 Karl Dixon 5 Andrew Bulman 23 Alex Bishop 7 Nikau Williams 18 Guy Graham 9 Callum Phillips 10 Tom Walker 11 Ryan King 12 Liam Cooper 20 Jake Bradley
Subs (all used) 13 Dion Aiye 17 Andrew Dawson 15 Connor Holliday
21 Kieran Hudson 8 Liam McAvoy 19 Jake Moore 14 James Newton
16 Tom Wilkinson