Narrow defeat for 1sts

After the excitement engendered by the tremendous victory over Skipton the previous week, Leos came down to earth with a bump on Saturday with a 13-10 defeat away at Wath upon Dearne.

Dave Robinson and his men travelled South and into the Dearne Valley knowing that expectations had been raised following the comprehensive performance of last week. A couple of changes saw Tim Sleights come into the centre to replace the holidaying Danny Thompson, and Stu Try Maker Heart Breaker Baker came in on the wing to replace Mark Winter. Will Levitt moved into the back row, and Joe Coleman onto the wing for his league debut.

In the warm sunshine of an Indian Summer, Leos started brightly enough on a surface which, while of interest to those interested in horticultural variety, was not conducive to flowing rugby. A scrappy opening 20 saw Wath take a 3-0 lead from a penalty. Unfortunately, the game became a fractured, stop-start affair as the entirely even-handed referee, possibly suffering from Assesoritis, applied the letter of the law with draconian exactitude. This proved a frustration to Leos, but the deadlock was broken when Jimmy Henry forced his way over the line on 26 minutes, taking in the process a knock which curtailed his afternoon. The conversion was added by young Joe Coleman.

Leos were unable to hold on to the lead. however, as Wath, cheered on by a vociferous and plentiful home support, drew level with a well-worked try from their inside centre. The conversion meant that Leos turned around 10-7 down at half time.

The second half became a staccato stalemate, the ref's whistle sounding with the frequency of an early 90's acid house rave party, and Leos were unable to establish the tempo and fluency required to break down the admirable Wath defence. A Coleman penalty took things level at 10-10 but pressure fron the home side saw Tim Fforde Escorted from the field following a yellow card (shared with a Wath player following a minor difference of opinion at a ruck) and a penalty to Wath. Lets hope we see Ffforde Focus next week.

Despite strong bursts from Baker, Liu and Monty, Leos were unable to add to the score, and the whistle blew for the final time with the score 13-10 to Wath.

All in all, Wath were probably marginally the better team on the day and were good value for the narrow win. Wath can be a tough place to travel to, and Leos will not be the only team that come unstuck there this year. The tight nature of the Division was proven by 3 0f the 7 fixtures ending with a winning margin of 3 points or fewer.