Ampthill Match Report

It was a bitterly cold afternoon at Westleigh Park where the Lions entertained a high flying Ampthill team. Lions were keen to avenge the 66-7 hammering they suffered to Ampthill earlier on in the season. This was not helped by the Lions having Josh McLaurin, Tom Cheney, Greg Mathers, Mike Hogan, Jon Boden, Johno Williams or Kane Nixon either injured or unavailable.

The game kicked off at a frenetic pace with both teams looking to play with ball-in-hand. Bad luck for the Lions was debutant scrum half Angus Hopewell, who was taken off injured after only two minuets. Lions having no scrum half cover were forced into playing Estonian international winger Luke Veebel at scrum half. Further bad news for the Lions came when flanker Drew Rudkin was also taken off injured after 5 minuets.
To compound the misery Ampthill scored from a free flowing move, full of exceptional handling and precision skills, with winger Lee Anker to score in the corner.

Lions knew early on this was a sink or swim moment in the match, the option chosen was to swim. From the restart the Lions pack gained the ascendancy over their larger opponents. Ampthill had very few answers with the power displayed by the Lions front row at the scrum. Lions were winning penalties freely at the scrum. At 13 minutes Lions won a penalty from a scrum of which they kicked for the corner. A powerful maul resulted in exceptional hooker Ollie Taylor scoring.

From then on it was the Lions forward power and collective defence which was on top. However credit to Ampthill who had turned up to attack and were throwing everything at the Lions defence. On the first occasion the visitor managed to brake through it took a last ditch tackle from rock steady full back Jack Spittle to halt the play. Unfortunately this was not quite enough and from the resulting play Ampthill prop Joe Sproston scored.

This Ampthill try was very much against the run of play but Leicester kept their composure and the Lions front row won another penalty at the scrum of with debutant fly half Dan Burke dissected the posts with. Ampthill then made a change on the front row on 30 minutes with Ex Wales & British Lions tighthead coming on to secure the scrum. This did not work as planned with Lions Loosehead Benjamin Spokes winning another penalty at the scrum again converted by the un-nervous debutant Burke.

Half time 13-12 to the Lions

The second half started as the first had finished with Lions forward power coming to the fore and creating space for the pacey Lions backs to break through. Soon makeshift scrum half Luke Veeble sniped from a ruck, very Mike Phillips esque in his powerful tall frame. The game then loosened up and this was to Lions advantage as flanker Josh Poullet scored a long range, lung busting effort to put the game out of Amphtills reach. The visitors scored a late consolation try, again from Anker, but it was Lions who had the last say. Another penalty from a scrum gave Burke a chance at the posts, a chance he took, albeit with help from the upright.

Full time 30-19 to Lions who showed they can match any team in the league on their day. Hopefully they can carry this into 2015.

Wishing you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

Report by Ben Spokes