Lions Just Miss The Mark !

This weekend saw a disappointing 26-22 defeat for the Lions at home to Syston in a game they needed to win.

The DCS Stadium at Bodicote Park – Saturday 9th December 2017

Match report by Wes Hallam

Despite losing, Banbury were leading for significant portions of the game but 7 yellow cards in total had a huge bearing on the final result.

The Lions started brightly using their forwards, who were dominant for much of the game, to apply pressure to the Syston defence. After repeated phases in the Syston half, Damien Mayhew squeaked over in the corner for a try.

Banbury looked to capitalise from penalties, but when James Blake edged one just outside the posts from 45m Banbury were able to collect the 22 drop-out. Jack Briggs carried well and offloaded to Wes Hallam who scored a lovely try in the corner.

Banbury then appeared to switch off and allowed Syston to creep back in. They conceded 2 tries in quick succession as Syston started to dictate the pace of the game. Poor discipline plagued Banbury as they allowed the Syston team to edge their way back into the game. Jack Briggs bagged a try of his own in the second half.

Unfortunately, Syston's change in tempo was too much to handle and Banbury slipped off the pace. Although they were dominant at scrum time and had spells of good play there were too many penalties gifted away at crucial moments.

A sad end to the year for Banbury, who have been building towards this game as a must-win. Time for a break over Christmas and to attack the second half of the season with gusto.