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Rugby roundup: Lions get rattled as they suffer rare defeat
Borough Under 14s Martin Ball. Photo: Sue Ball
PETERBOROUGH Lions’ title charge was halted on Saturday by arch rivals Market Harborough.
The table-topping Lions suffered a 25-22 defeat at the Leicestershire club and have had their lead at the head of Midlands Division Two East (South) cut to seven points.
Once again the city side allowed ill-discipline to creep into their play and it cost them victory. They had three players - Mark Carter, Marius Andrijauskas and Marc Roussouw - yellow-carded for retaliation and Harborough cashed in. They scored two tries - one a pushover and one a penalty try - while the Lions were down to 13 men.
“Harborough were really up for this one after we put 50 points on them at our place back in October,” said Lions chairman Andy Moore. “Egged on by a big crowd, they came at us from the start. They tried to get us rattled and it worked and we paid the consequences.
“It was niggly, it was horrible but it was end-to-end stuff. In the end the sin-binning cost us - that and the fact we also lost Dan Thompson (hip) and Chris Platt (ankle) to injury.
“But it could have been worse because at least we got two bonus points - for losing by less than seven and for scoring four tries.”
Lithuanian Under 20 international Mantas Parafijanavicius and Rudi van der Merwe scored two tries each for the Lions.
SPALDING slipped to a 24-19 defeat at fellow strugglers Nuneaton Old Edwardians after missing too many tackles.
They did lead 9-7 through three Dave Hankinson penalties but then lost second row Josh McNally to the sin bin and quickly found themselves 17-9 down.
That became 24-9 just after half-time and although Spalding staged a stirring late rally that brought a try for Richie Craig they couldn’t quite bridge the gap.
n Wisbech were back to their clinical best on Saturday when they demolished lowly Woodbridge 77-3 with a 13-try haul - five of which were scored by winger/full-back Joe Barfoot.
The win keeps Wisbech snapping at Cantabrigians’ heels in second place in Eastern Counties Division One.
Wisbech welcomed back club skipper Tom Long for his first start since breaking his thumb in the first league match of the season and gave young prop Kerrie McMullen his first start.
Club manager Cliff Humphreys said: “We were back to the level shown before Christmas and with two big games coming up it was encouraging to see.
“The next two weeks will be pivotal to our season as we are away to Harwich and Dovercourt, who have only lost one game at home in the league, next week and then on February 11 we travel to London Exiles in the fifth round of the Junior Vase.”
NICK Cobley led the way for Oundle with four touchdowns as they smashed rock-bottom Corby 71-7 in Midlands Division Four East (South).
Skipper Joe Rice and Simon Hudson both grabbed a pair while Lee Green kicked eight of the 11 conversions and scored a try for a 21-point return.
BOROUGH Under 14s beat Ampthill B 44-0 on Sunday with tries by James Hibbert, Martin Ball, Leon Weekely, Harry Clarke, Bradley Bucknell (2), Dylan Moles and Alex Thompson.
They can expect a tougher time in a fortnight when they take on the Ampthill A team in an East Midlands Cup semi-final.
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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