Match report 27/11/21

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   Old Albanian 14 Leicester Lions 16
Saturday 27th November 2021
League Points 1-4
Old Albanian 14: Tries: Elliott McPhun (38, 48); Conversions: Greg Lound (39, 49);
Leicester Lions 16: Tries: Ben Young (35); Conversions: Ben Young (36); Penalties: Ben Young (23, 45, 68);
Lions defeat the wind, cold and the opposition for a deserved away win against Old Albanian.
This was one of Lions’ closer away trips to Old Albanian (OAs), based in St Albans in Hertfordshire. Not only would Lions be contending with OAs, but they would also have to deal with the cold, wind and snow as part of weather system Storm Arwen.
Lions elected to play against the wind in the first half. After some well balanced play OAs conceded a penalty against the demanding Lions’ attack, with Ben Young slotting the ball between the posts to take a 0-3 lead.
On 25 mins OA’s Ashley Illston was yellow carded for foul play. Lions’ pressure made use of their numerical advantage, when on 35 mins Ben Young worked his way through the OA’s defence to score a try, adding the conversion himself.
Just before the break OA’s scrum half, Elliott McPhun, produced some snappy play to go over for a try, converted by Greg Lound, to pull OAs back into the game and leave the score at 7-10 going into the break.
Half-Time: Old Albanian 7 Leicester Lions 10
Lions now had the wind at their backs and soon Young added his second penalty of the afternoon to open up their lead to 7-13.
Impressive play by OAs soon after allowed McPhun to score his second try
of the game, with Lound adding the extras and putting OAs into the lead at 14-13.
Lions came back at OAs and the pressure led to the concession of another penalty which Young despatched between the posts, with Lions regaining the lead at 14-16.
With both sides having opportunities, but unable to convert them into points, this gave Lions the victory in an evenly matched game.
Final Score: Old Albanian 14 Leicester Lions 16
A close well contested match, with Lions showing application and determination to win the game. OAs defended well against a forceful Lions’ attack.
A low try scoring afternoon – three tries in total – two to OAs, one to Lions. A stirring team performance by Lions, with all the replacements making it onto the pitch during the game, to play their part in a team victory. Some impressive place kicking by Ben Young to seal the game for Lions, scoring all of Lions’ points – 3 penalties, 1 try and 1 conversion.
Following the game Lions were in sixth position in National League 2 South and Old Albanian were in eighth position.
Head coach Gareth Collins commented: “It was a very close game, very affected by the wind! Having said that we played against it first half and went in 10-7 up. We showed a huge amount of character today. It’s always difficult when the conditions are that bad. Playing against a horrendous wind, our energy levels and aggression in the first half were spot on. We dominated the game and really should have gone in leading by more. To be fair to OAs they played a far more direct game second half and put us under some real pressure. I’m really proud of the ways the boys ground out the lead and then saw the game out professionally. We’re not getting carried away, and will continue to take one game at a time, but it’s great to be in the mix towards the top of the table.’’
Lions Chairman, Ken Whitehead said: “Another close away victory played out in atrocious conditions. Again the lads are continuing to form into an impressive playing unit and doing the club proud”.
Next week, on Saturday 4th December 2021, Lions are at home to Barnes, at Westleigh Park, Lutterworth Road, Blaby, Leicester LE8 4DY, kick off 2.00 pm.
Teams – Order 15-9, 1-8, 16-20
Old Albanian: Sam Jones, Tom Mills, Nico Defeo, Jarryd Sage, Kaz Henderson, Greg Lound, Elliott McPhun, Matt Harris, Michael Bond, Stefan North, Rhys Verley, Chris Napier, Ashley Illston, Ben Charnock, Chris West
Replacements: Matt Ramzanpour, Jordan Butcher, Joseff Terry-Brown, Jon Wicks, Dan Watt
Leicester Lions: Alex WilHuckleberryson, Jake Sterland, Jamel Hamilton, Joe Brock, Devon Constant, Ben Young, James Stubbs, Will Spendlove, Oli Taylor, Shaun Murray, Ethan Godefroy, Will Ward, Simon Johnson, Jonny Murdoch, Nick Cairns
Replacements: George Taylor-Walker, Isaac Thompson, Ben Cornwall, Dan Martin, Finlay Ogden

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tigerburnie Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List World Cup Winner Joined: 10 Jun 2012 Location: Scotland Status: Offline Points: 3800	Post Options Post Reply Quote tigerburnie Report Post Thanks(0) Quote Reply Topic: Match report 27/11/21 Posted: 28 Nov 2021 at 20:08
	Old Albanian 14 Leicester Lions 16 Saturday 27th November 2021 League Points 1-4 Old Albanian 14: Tries: Elliott McPhun (38, 48); Conversions: Greg Lound (39, 49); Leicester Lions 16: Tries: Ben Young (35); Conversions: Ben Young (36); Penalties: Ben Young (23, 45, 68); Lions defeat the wind, cold and the opposition for a deserved away win against Old Albanian. This was one of Lions’ closer away trips to Old Albanian (OAs), based in St Albans in Hertfordshire. Not only would Lions be contending with OAs, but they would also have to deal with the cold, wind and snow as part of weather system Storm Arwen. Lions elected to play against the wind in the first half. After some well balanced play OAs conceded a penalty against the demanding Lions’ attack, with Ben Young slotting the ball between the posts to take a 0-3 lead. On 25 mins OA’s Ashley Illston was yellow carded for foul play. Lions’ pressure made use of their numerical advantage, when on 35 mins Ben Young worked his way through the OA’s defence to score a try, adding the conversion himself. Just before the break OA’s scrum half, Elliott McPhun, produced some snappy play to go over for a try, converted by Greg Lound, to pull OAs back into the game and leave the score at 7-10 going into the break. Half-Time: Old Albanian 7 Leicester Lions 10 Lions now had the wind at their backs and soon Young added his second penalty of the afternoon to open up their lead to 7-13. Impressive play by OAs soon after allowed McPhun to score his second try of the game, with Lound adding the extras and putting OAs into the lead at 14-13. Lions came back at OAs and the pressure led to the concession of another penalty which Young despatched between the posts, with Lions regaining the lead at 14-16. With both sides having opportunities, but unable to convert them into points, this gave Lions the victory in an evenly matched game. Final Score: Old Albanian 14 Leicester Lions 16 A close well contested match, with Lions showing application and determination to win the game. OAs defended well against a forceful Lions’ attack. A low try scoring afternoon – three tries in total – two to OAs, one to Lions. A stirring team performance by Lions, with all the replacements making it onto the pitch during the game, to play their part in a team victory. Some impressive place kicking by Ben Young to seal the game for Lions, scoring all of Lions’ points – 3 penalties, 1 try and 1 conversion. Following the game Lions were in sixth position in National League 2 South and Old Albanian were in eighth position. Head coach Gareth Collins commented: “It was a very close game, very affected by the wind! Having said that we played against it first half and went in 10-7 up. We showed a huge amount of character today. It’s always difficult when the conditions are that bad. Playing against a horrendous wind, our energy levels and aggression in the first half were spot on. We dominated the game and really should have gone in leading by more. To be fair to OAs they played a far more direct game second half and put us under some real pressure. I’m really proud of the ways the boys ground out the lead and then saw the game out professionally. We’re not getting carried away, and will continue to take one game at a time, but it’s great to be in the mix towards the top of the table.’’ Lions Chairman, Ken Whitehead said: “Another close away victory played out in atrocious conditions. Again the lads are continuing to form into an impressive playing unit and doing the club proud”. Next week, on Saturday 4th December 2021, Lions are at home to Barnes, at Westleigh Park, Lutterworth Road, Blaby, Leicester LE8 4DY, kick off 2.00 pm. Teams – Order 15-9, 1-8, 16-20 Old Albanian: Sam Jones, Tom Mills, Nico Defeo, Jarryd Sage, Kaz Henderson, Greg Lound, Elliott McPhun, Matt Harris, Michael Bond, Stefan North, Rhys Verley, Chris Napier, Ashley Illston, Ben Charnock, Chris West Replacements: Matt Ramzanpour, Jordan Butcher, Joseff Terry-Brown, Jon Wicks, Dan Watt Leicester Lions: Alex WilHuckleberryson, Jake Sterland, Jamel Hamilton, Joe Brock, Devon Constant, Ben Young, James Stubbs, Will Spendlove, Oli Taylor, Shaun Murray, Ethan Godefroy, Will Ward, Simon Johnson, Jonny Murdoch, Nick Cairns Replacements: George Taylor-Walker, Isaac Thompson, Ben Cornwall, Dan Martin, Finlay Ogden