Rare victory for Leo’s socialists

All the ingredients required to refresh a jaded Leo’s social squad were there and an entertaining encounter was mixed up for all to enjoy. Having sent a couple over to the more competitive fixture Leo’s took on Mods 3rds on the back pitch. The visitors only had 14 so Leo’s evened it up by starting with 14 and a sub. The sub was Rhett Butler, returning after a catalogue of injuries that lasted until he was nearly 62. Also back in the fold was Andy Hill, raising the team beard offering to 20%. With the usual positional challenges Scotty increased his seasonal propping quotient to 84% and CJ+ his bosh centre quotient to 47%. Everyone else was more or less where they were supposed to be.
Mods had some strong runners in midfield and used possession well in the opening exchanges as Leo’s slowly found their feet and got stuck in. The ball was rarely off the park in the first quarter as both sides looked to run the ball at every opportunity. Strong defence from Leo’s kept the visitors at bay and excellent scrambling from Matt, Stevo and Andy in the back row won good turnover. Tom left early with an ankle injury allowing Rhett to play for 70 mins, 60 more than he’d hoped! The front five were more than a match for Mods and the traditional Plan A was adhered to in order for territory to be converted into points. First Cadgey crashed over from 20, millimetres before young Matt dashed in for a second. Mods replied with a try of their own before the lively Tim M darted through a gap and eschewed the supporting Scotty’s offer to step the fullback and score himself. Consolation extras for the prop/lock.
The game was by no means won as both sides took stock at the break. Cadgy implored Leo’s to score first and not let Mods back in the match. Leo’s did the opposite and it was very much “game on”. Leo’s secret line-out move set up Andy H for a quick reply and the backs were soon getting more and more involved. Ageless Tim L and speedster James S made impressive yardage and the pack supported with clearing and recycling for repeat action. James capped a fine performance with a try as Leo’s looked to cut loose. Mods were not giving up and the forward battle continued furiously while the backs had to be on their guard. Finally a five yard scrum was set to reward the pack with a push-over only for the greedy backs (Rob S?) to steal the ball and squander the opportunity. Angry forwards recovered the ball, set themselves up and Jim C ploughed over out wide with Scotty once again in fruitless support. Tim L completed a three conversion half and Leo’s secured a hard earned victory played out in excellent spirit.