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   Swinton Lions 20, Oldham Roughyeds 38
by Iain Rigg
The Roughyeds got off to a flyer with a good victory over the much fancied Lions side but the game ended with both teams fighting and two players being sent off despite it being a good game throughout. In the early stages both sides defences were on top and the visitors took the lead in the eleventh minute when Mick Fogerty made a good break down the left before slipping the pass to Paul O'Connor who raced away to score under the posts and Matt Ashe converted. They stretched the lead two minutes later when Dave Newton was pinned for a high shot on O'Connor and Ashe converted a simple penalty. The Lions hit back on fifteen minutes when the Roughyeds lost the ball in their own half and the Lions put pressure on the line with Dave Hull crossing for a try in the right corner but Gavin Dodd could not convert. The Roughyeds went further ahead midway through the half when good passing from a scrum ended with Lucas Onyango going in at the corner but Ashe could not convert. Onyango could have had a second a few minutes later but the final pass to the speedy winger was intercepted by his opposite number Rob Foxen. Saqib Murtza crossed the try line on thirty-one minutes but was held up on his back but from the resulting play the ball on the ten metre line the ball moved swiftly to the wing and Onyango crossed again but Ashe could not covert from the touchline. The Lions then hit back with two tries in two minutes just before the break with firstly Lee Wingfield going in from close range from a short pass from Gary Hulse and then Phil Joseph crashed over following a penalty on the Oldham ten metre line and Dodd converted one of them as the Roughyeds held on to a slender lead at the break. The Lions made a good start to the second half when Wingfield made a sixty metre break from the kick off to put his side in a good position. The home side took the lead on forty-four minutes when Danny Heaton went close and then Tommy Grundy crashed in on the left with Dodd converting. The Lions then enjoyed some pressure on the Roughyeds line before the visitors went back into the lead when Onyango completed his hat trick on fifty-one minutes when he made the best of a big overlap to score but Ashe missed the conversion. It got better though three minutes later when Mark Brocklehurst broke down the left to send Martin Roden away to score under the posts and Ashe converted. The Roughyeds then had a try disallowed for obstruction on fifty-six minutes and then Onyango knocked on over the line three minutes later. The Lions had another attack on the Oldham line and Paul Smith was held up as he went for a try on the right side and then Fogerty had a try disallowed for a forward pass but they did go further ahead on seventy minutes when Neil Roden sent out a super short pass for Wayne Kerr to race in and score with Ashe converting and then the Lions lost the ball in their own half and Joe Chandler raced away to score on the left but Ashe missed the conversion. Andrew Isherwood was sent to the sin bin with four minutes left when Neil Rigby charged down an Ashe kick and Rigby seemed to receive an injury as he crashed into Ashe but Isherwood didn't like what he saw and seemed to strike out at the Roughyeds player and referee Craig Halloran showed the yellow card. The visitors increased the lead further with two minutes left when Ashe converted a simple penalty shot but in the final seconds Ian Watson and Kerr had an altercation and fists flew from both sides as all the players got involved. Watson and Kerr were both red carded by the official and the fight didn't seem to go on report but the Lions were awarded the penalty and the game came to an end which was a shame as up until that point it had been a good end to end match. Photo: Dave Hull touches down for the Lions
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