Once again Lismore were short of numbers with Saturday morning call offs and injuries reducing the squad to 12. The game started with Preston Lodge fielding 15 players against the Lismore 12. However it was the visitors that opened the scoring with the pack driving Keith Harrison over after just 5 minutes. Dan Demarco missed the conversion. Pl levelled the score 5 minutes later with an unconverted try. They then doubled their lead 10 minutes later when their scrum half took advantage of Lismore’s lack of back row and darted over from a scrum. That was the final score of the half, with PL inexplicably continuing to engage the stronger Lismore pack rather than taking advantage of their greater numbers and spreading the ball wider, though the atrocious conditions could be partly to blame.

The second half continued much as the first had, with Lismore containing PL well with some great defensive work. In fact it was 10 minutes before they got into the Lismore half. Lismore were helped by PL first having a player sin binned for killing the ball then a man sent for foul play. However in the end their greater numbers told and they scored 3 further tries, two of which were converted.
If I were a PL player I would be doubly embarrassed. Firstly playing 15 against 12, even when there were two substitutes available could be considered unsportsman like. Secondly failing to take much advantage of the imbalance and not running up a cricket score.

Team: Chris Campbell, Kenny Irons, Steven O’Regan, Pete Phelan, Keith Harrison, Loic Brachett; Dave Hogg, Dan Demarco; Paul Reddish, Graham Sawers, Gordon Rogers, Ewan Izatt