Young Lions Begin to Roar

On Sunday they hosted local rivals Ash who had beaten them in the East Kent Tournament earlier in the season.

In the first of 2 mini-matches, under the captaincy of Ollie White, the Lions started strongest, with excellent tackling from Gonzalo Ballester. They soon began to dominate possession with the forwards led by Ben Heaver, and Sonny Bell, consistently winning loose ball and setting up play for the backs. Tries followed quickly as Ash were unable to get a foothold in the game. The backs exploited space and took advantage of missed tackles with tries from Ollie White (2), Luke Baalham, Henry English, Oliver Martin, and Gonzalo Ballester, resulting in a landslide 6-0 victory to the Lions.

In the second mini match the Lions gave opportunities to some new and less experienced players with 9 substitutions. The result was a much tighter and evenly contested game. Ash took an early try, boosting their confidence, but an excellent try from stand out fly half Marcus Bryant saw the Lions level at the break. The second half could have gone either way but within the last few minutes of the match Ash went over from a close range penalty to secure victory.

Despite the disappointment of not winning the second match the Lions were encouraged by strong performances from Jake St. Agne, and Sam Hignett at centre, ensuring they now have strength in depth at this level.

Man of the Match: Gonzalo Ballester

Report by Neil Heaver
U13/12 Coach