Dewsbury Rams10 Swinton Lions 13
THE Lions survived a war of attrition in more ways than one as they returned to winning ways at New Crown Flats.
The match was delayed by half an hour due to horrendous traffic on the M62 caused by a blazing lorry.
Add to that a lengthy first half stoppage while the referee went off injured and there was a rather late finish to Wednesday night's (May 13) game.
The clash started off in the same vein as Sunday's fixture at Whitehaven with the very first tackle resulting in Jimmy Veikoso giving a penalty away for lying on.
However Dewsbury second row forward Shayne Williams returned the favour three fold.
In the first nine minutes he was penalised for holding down twice and a high tackle on Veikoso.
Gartland kicked one penalty goal to give the Lions an early lead.
The Rams looked out of sorts and the Lions were applying all the early pressure.
Gartland got Paul Barrow through a gap but the loose forward lost the ball.
Dewsbury hooker Paul Delany was penalised for stealing the ball from Veikoso but Gartland could not add the goal points.
The 22nd minute introduction of new signing Mann for Ian Blease signified a flurry of activity. His first touch resulted in a penalty for offside against the Rams.
He was then involved in the lead up to the Lions' opening try. Mann was supporting Ian Watson 10 metres from the Rams line when he appeared to be held back.
Watson took advantage of this and sold two outrageous dummies before touching down for the try.
This time Gartland was successful with the goal kick to make it 8-0.
On the half hour mark referee Nick Oddy limped off suffering a calf muscle injury. The replacement referee came on and N. Oddy was replaced by S. Addy.
Dewsbury finally got into the game but their pressure came to nothing when Williams knocked on. Watson was pulled back for a debatable forward pass before Williams again was penalised for interference at the play-the-ball.
Watson missed the penalty kick, Gartland having limped off injured.
The Lions extended their lead three minutes after the break.
Watson, on the sixth tackle, jinked his way around Brendon Williams for a calmly taken drop goal on the last tackle. The Lions were learning to back up the ball play of new signing Mann. He got Peter Cannon away down field and the ball was swung across to Ashcroft but Rams scrum half Barry Eaton intercepted the final pass from Adams.
The home team continued to look disjointed with Danny Wood and Gary Rose both being spoken to for indiscretions.
Watson's high bomb dropped behind the Dewsbury defence but they just managed to clear the kick over the dead ball line.
Jim Evans, standing in once again at full back, made a good take of a dangerous Eaton kick. The Lions counter-attacked and a long pass by Casey got Gareth Adams into a gap but he slipped as he tried to change direction and allowed the defence to recover.
Adams was having another impressive game and when he intercepted a wild Eaton pass for the second time in two games he faced a length-of-the-field race to the opponents' line.
He was hauled down just short, but the ball went out to the right wing where Paul Barrow was on hand to stroll through a yawning gap to make it 13-0.
Dewsbury finally came into their game in the last 10 minutes, their recovery being signified by the substitution of the impressive Adams.
Late tries to Danny McKelvie and Matthew Bramald plus one Eaton conversion completed the score.
Gavin Price-Jones was just wide with a drop goal attempt and the hooter sounded with Dewsbury having a third try disallowed for offside.
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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