Lions 32 - 10 Ilkeston

This game was a must win game for Lions. The title ambitions of both teams were on the line. The selection issues of recent weeks were easily resolved as only 18 of the 1st team squad were available for this game. The game began at a fast pace and the early battles for gain line supremacy were won by the Lions. Capt Sait leading from the front with support from Humphrey, Roberts and Andrijauskas. Ilkeston struggled to cope with the physicality of the lions forwards. Ilkeston were keen to move the ball and try and outflank the home team. This was thwarted by a well organised and aggressive lions back line defence. The pressure and territory led to a successful penalty by Lowe, although he missed a two other shots at goal. Scrum half Humphrey produced a try out of nothing when he chipped the Ilkeston defence and won the race to touch down. Ilkeston replied with a penalty before half time.
The pressure applied in the first half continued into the second half. This pressure caused the Ilkeston 6 to give a penalty at the breakdown, after been previously warned for a similar offence in the first half. He was sent to the sin bin. This proved to be the blow that fractured the Ilkeston resolve to hang on and hope for the game to open up. This spurred the lions to continue their mauling of the struggling Ilkeston forwards. The Lowe try under the posts became an inevitable outcome of the pressure created. This was followed by two Sait try's from the base of the scrum. The defence of the Ilkeston team was none existent for a twenty minute period in the second half. Ilkeston rallied for a short period towards the end of the game. These efforts were rewarded with a try that took the score to 29-10. Any glimmer of hope was banished by another penalty by Lowe that took the final score to 32-10.
"This was an outstanding team performance against a team that outplayed us in the away fixture earlier in the season " , said Lions coach Lee Adamson., the players produced what is clearly our best performance of the season" . "We have three games left in our bid for promotion to the next level. Newark away next week is our next big challenge and I am sure that the players will want to carry this form into that game"