Leo’s prevail in Battle of the Big Pitch

Corinthians were also pretty sizable too and a very competitive match ensued on the somewhat crispy surface.
The visitors were into their stride early on and attacked Leo’s with some big ball carriers driving into the heart of the Leo’s defence. They were kept at bay but not without some scares and little turnover opportunity. The battle for possession at the breakdown was tempestuous as both sides looked to set out their stall early on. The Leo’s midfield held firm when the visitors spun wide and eventually some possession was secured. With a bit of time and space (there was plenty of the latter available) Leo’s looked dangerous but Corinthians were defending well. Eventually some slick work from Rob and Joe fed Will for a barnstorming run and supporting Joe to finish off with aplomb. The visitors threw themselves back into the fray and once again the back row were defending bravely and the fringing forwards were slowing things down where possible as the forward charges were attack options of choice. In the loose Leo’s were faster and more elusive with the lively youngsters enjoying the open expanses of The Crag. Another rapid assault led to a second try, closely followed by a third, converted by the small footed lock/stand-in captain. After this excitement Scotty preferred the more sedate driving maul option but these proved ultimately fruitless against the obdurate Corinthians. A catch and drive was repelled but young Tom crashed through the Corinthian big boys to score the final try of the half and give Leo’s a 22-0 lead, which didn’t feel that commanding.
Scotty’s half time call to arms was politely interrupted by Dan “If I may” Mann who requested precision at the breakdown, 3mm of it to be exact, and Leo’s shuffled their pack to make sure of victory. Corinthians must have had superior orators as for the first 15 minutes Leo’s hardly saw the ball and were defending for their lives. The visitors scored a well worked try after repetitious phases and a battle was on the cards. The game proceeded in a more tempestuous manner with The Cagderee keeping things under control with humour, common sense and threats. Dr G took over line-out management and called everything to himself, which luckily he secured while the backs were reinvigorated by shuddering tackles (Chris) and storming runs (Tom) which should have reaped more reward than a solitary unconverted try. As dusk and the temperature descended the game slowly petered out but not before the games single punch was thrown, at James H, and an armless but not harmless bosh was inflicted on Lovejoy but was callously ignored by the Cadgeree. A few indiscretions from fatigue and a plethora of handling mistakes dragged the match to a close and a hard won victory for Leo’s.