The Lions secured their first win of the season in a tough contest against a physical Sedgley Park side who nearly stole victory at the end of the game.

The home side started brightly and were rewarded on 12 minutes when wing Jake Sterland crossed following a a line break from Luke Bouchier who then converted from out wide (7-0).

The Tigers got on the scoreboard almost straight after through an Oliver Glasse penalty but Sterland got his second on 17 minutes to extend the Lions’ lead when he gathered a Luke Bouchier cross field kick. (12-3).

The home side had a number of good scoring chances but their lack of execution and ill-discipline in defence kept the visitors in the game. Glasse converted another penalty for Sedge before hooker Ben Gregory scored two converted driving mauls tries in an action packed last 5 minutes of the half to give them a 20-12 half time lead, somewhat against the run of play.

Glasse added another penalty shortly after the break but the Lions regained control of the contest and started to dominate both possession and territory. They regained the lead through two close range scores, firstly through Ethan Godefroy on 51 minutes and then replacement hooker Arthur Allen on 64 minutes, both following continuous pressure on the Sedgley line. Bouchier converted one (24-23).

When replacement winger Jack Edwards crossed with 5 minutes to go following a break by the outstanding George Pearson, it appeared to have put the contest to bed, but the missed conversion kept the visitors within one score. The Lions defended resolutely for a long passage of play but a breakdown infringement gave the visitors one last opportunity. With the last play of the game, having kicked to the corner, the big Sedge pack eyed up a third and match-winning maul try, but the Lions pack held them up to secure a much needed victory.

Head coach Gareth Collins: ‘‘It was a difficult game to watch from the sideline. Two sides who really needed a win so there was a lot of desperation out there. We started really well and should have been out of sight in the first half in all honesty. Fair play to Sedge though, they stuck in there and took their opportunities well. Half time game at a good time for us as we’d really lost control of the contest. We got back to the plan second half though and fully deserved the win. We’re still working towards that consistent performance but to get 5 points when not at our best can only be a positive.’’