2 from 2 for the 2s

Leos travelled all the way to deepest Horsforth to take on Yarnbury 4s and Leeds Medics 2s in a triple threat merit league clash.

Ranks bolstered by the newly recruited students Leos had the luxury of a bench for the second week running and even had some support too.

First up was hosts Yarnbury, the game had a very back and forth feel to it with both teams getting plenty of ball and both sets of forwards getting very familiar with each other following the many knock ons and a few dubious 'forward' passes. Leos managed to break the deadlock following plenty of hard running and rucking with Jack Newton diving over near the sticks.

Leos students kept the ball alive with some fancy footwork and the occasional chip over the top but it was a classic Will Crawforth crash ball that provided the second score, flattening the opposition 15 with the grace of a wildebeest. Ably converted by one of Leos growing crop of double-barrelled athletes Mr. Pine-Coffin, the game ended 12-0 and could easily have been a classic over 80 minutes... Maybe next time.

With 10 minutes rest and a few subs, Leos went again, this time against the medics. It was clear we were in the presence of learned scholars when they pulled of a number of 4 and 5 man line outs. Leos opted for a more traditional approach allowing for some solid mincing at the back for the non-lifting or jumping pack members.

Leos went ahead early on through a student try (memory escapes me which one) but Medics fought back and took the lead with a converted effort, making it 5-7 at the break.

Stepping up in the second half, Leos out powered their opposition up front with some great scrummaging and round the corner plays, eventually leading to fan favourite, Leeds #1 stone seller, Andrew 'Tower' Kennedy crashing over for yet another try. Aside from putting a good shift in round the park, Tower also smashed the stats for metres made, seizing on a short kick off, the free running mastodon trundled up the pitch untouched before being sacked by waiting fullback. It was a moment even Attenborough would struggle to summarise, truly a thing of beauty.

Returning from a 6 week hiatus due to having a glass spine, Billy Marsh dotted down in the dying embers to give Leos a bit of breathing space off the back of some solid work by Number 8 Michael Pritchard-Howarth and hooker Guy James.

The final play lasted almost as long as the first half with Medics being awarded penalty after penalty, eventually being rewarded with a try after some good work to stretch Leos tiring defence. The whistle blew, 17-12 to Leos and two wins in the bag.

A great shift by all involved, if Leos could just hold onto possession a bit better there could be plenty of happy Saturday afternoons on the horizon. A bit more gelling required too.

A few candidates for man of the match but for me Michael Pritchard-Howarth takes the crown this week, 80 minutes of graft and unlucky not to get on the scoreboard. Honourable mentions for Tower, Bindloss and that one kick that was distinctly above average, new boy Sam Clues who was a rock in midfield and James Shepherd who managed to carry the ball not once but twice.

The twos welcome Bramley Phoenix to kingdom Crag next weekend in what will no doubt be a tough encounter as ever.