Last Thursday a squad of nineteen was announced for the away match at Bodmin, unfortunately on the Friday this was reduced to eighteen when Will Cameron pulled out on the birth of his baby, this caused a reshuffle of positions with Jay Mason now starting at scrumhalf with the initial incumbent, Greg Gillbard, switching to centre and Jack Badnall switching from centre to the wing. On the day the day of the match the other wing, Sean Simmons, pulled out through illness, thus casing another switch with flanker Will Hoskin switching to the wing berth and Adam Dack moving from the bench to number eight, this left the Lions with only two finishers.
Liskeard had a nightmare start with the ball being knocked forward, from the ensuing scrum, Bodmin put pressure on Liskeard, but in the sixth minute Lions centre James Noel-Johnson intercepted a pass and made a break taking the ball deep into home territory, knowing he couldn’t make it to the try-line, passed outside to Gillbard, who ran in unopposed to score a try converted by Mike McCarthy, to open the scoring, 7-0 to the Lions. In the tenth minute Liskeard were caught offside, forty-one metre from their try-line, the Bodmin kicker had the distance and the height but not the accuracy and it sailed wide. However in the nineteenth minute the home side did get on the scoreboard when they crossed for an unconverted try in the corner. In the twenty-fourth minute Liskeard flanker Andy Rowe picked up a loose ball driving forward, the ball was released to the backs and a clever crossed kick was put in by McCarthy, fullback Kieran Underhill, with an excellent kick chase, latched onto it to go over for an unconverted try in the corner. On the half hour Bodmin intercepted a pass inside the Lions twenty-two to score a converted try under the sticks, on thirty-four minutes Dack left the field, for treatment with Billy Warner replacing him. On the stroke of halftime Bodmin scored a third try, this time unconverted to make the score 12-17 at the whistle.
After a poor start Liskeard had fought back well but still not playing the way they normally can.
In the forty-fifth minute following great work by the Liskeard eight Rowe crashed over for a try that was converted by McCarthy to make it 19-17 to the Lions. On sixty-five minutes Liskeard were reduced to fourteen players following a yellow card and two minutes later Bodmin scored their bonus point try, that was converted to put them back in front at 24-19. The Lions came back again and in the eightieth minute drew level, courtesy of Underhill’s second of the afternoon thus earning a try bonus of their own, this try also went unconverted, to square the score at 24-24. Liskeard the made their final mistake of the game when they appeared to slacken off a little and Bodmin scored a fifth try, for a win for the home side at 29-24.
View from the touchline the Lions had made too many mistakes during the match, and it caused their downfall, however there were quite a few bright areas in the game, just now enough to secure victory, but it was the Lions seventh losing bonus point this season, all within five of their opponents scores.
Post match the Liskeard man of the match was awarded to Billy Warner for the impact that he had made after coming off the bench.
There is no fixture this coming weekend, because of a blank week, the next match is on March 1st with top of the table Saltash the visitors to Lux Park.