Honiton 65 v Liskeard-Looe 14

Last Saturday The Lions returned to league action, following a week’s break, with a trip to high-flying Honiton, bringing in Fijian import Naita Timoci into the centre, for the unavailable Jordan Smith with Ieuan Evans switching from the centre to fullback to accommodate.
Liskeard started poorly and conceded the first try of the game, because of slack defensive tackling; the try went unconverted. Honiton scored a second try in the fourteenth minute, this came from a scrum five metres when they released their backs to cross the line and this was converted. A couple of minutes later the referee awarded the home side a kickable penalty, for handling in a ruck, and this was slotted to make it 15-0. On twenty-four minutes the referee awarded a second penalty to the home side, for not releasing, this was also slotted to increase the lead. Liskeard hit back immediately, after turning over ball and put together a good handling move to send Naita Timoci in for a try and this was converted by his centre partner Nick Parker. On thirty minutes Liskeard fell foul of the referee for a third time, for handling in the loose, and Honiton kicked for touch, from the ensuing line-out a series of forward drives put the home side over the try-line again for a converted try. At the restart Liskeard were up quick and put them under pressure and a ruck formed, at this Liskeard scrumhalf James Noel-Johnson was adjudged to go over the top and was shown a harsh yellow card, as he had been pulled over, from the penalty was kicked to touch, from the line-out Honiton released their well drilled backs and they scored another converted try to take the score to 32-7 at the half-time whistle; not a very good half for The Lions.
A couple of minutes into the second half the home side were awarded a scrum, five metres from the Liskeard line, and they put on a good nudge to score an unconverted pushover try. In the fiftieth minute more misery for Liskeard when Honiton waltzed through some ineffective tackling to score a converted try in the corner to make it 44-7. On the hour mark Honiton scored another converted try, this time in the left hand corner to make it 51-7 and immediately from the restart they scored another converted try and this was because of poor tackling. On seventy minutes they scored a further converted try also because of poor tackling. In the seventy-fifth minute Liskeard finally got hold of the ball and from a well worked line-out, in the home twenty-two, followed by a driving maul and managed to cross the home try-line with the ball being dotted down by flanker Archie Doidge and Parker converted this to make the final score 65-7. A very bad day at the office for the Liskeard side that had probably faced the best team they have encountered all season. The next match for The Lions is this coming Saturday when they welcome third placed club Bude to Lux Park for a kick off time of 1500, also at home will be Liskeard 2nd XV who are playing their counterparts from Bodmin; this will also have a 1500 kick off.