CORNWALL & DEVON LEAGUE Liskeard-Looe 8 St Just 3
LISKEARD-LOOE playing their first home league game of the season recorded a well-deserved first league victory over difficult opposition and in a bizarre end to the match. The Lions opened well and from the kick off drove deep into the St Just half, where they were rewarded with a penalty kicked by debutant fly half Rob Vivian. They continued to occupy the St Just half, only rarely allowing the opposition to break out. They were prevented from increasing the lead by excellent St Just defending. For some inexplicable reason Liskeard-Looe went off the boil 20 minutes into the game, allowing St Just to gain more useful possession. Their own defence however held firm. The game became scrappy and by half time two Liskeard-Looe players and one from St Just had visited the sin bin for a variety of relatively minor offences. On balance, Liskeard-Looe had the better of the half and deserved thei 3-0 lead. At the restart Liskeard-Looe again looked lively and put St Just under the cosh. Following a good take at a line out deep in the St Just 20 metre area, Liskeard-Looe set up a strong drive which resulted in Ian Goldsmith touching down. Once again, despite territorial advantage, Liskeard-Looe were unable to build on this lead. St Just made some inroads into the Liskeard-Looe half and managed to claw a bit back with a Stuart Walsh penalty. During this period one of the St Just props suffered an ankle injury and had to be replaced. Some minutes later an infringement at a ruck led to the referee yellow carding a St Just prop - 10 minutes in the sin bin. Six or seven minutes into this punishment, the other prop suffered a knee injury, which prevented him from taking any further part. St Just had no further front row replacement, which would have meant playing uncontested scrums. The St Just captain decided they did not want to accept that option so the only alternative open to the referee was to stop the game about 10 minutes early. St Just in effect forfeited the match and the result stood as an 8-3 victory to Liskeard-Looe, a strange and unsatisfactory conclusion, but a win nonetheless. It must be said that St Just, despite all their hard work, never really looked like scoring, whereas Liskeard-Looe were always threatening to do so, only being denied by desperate defending. Liskeard-Looe would like to thank Mr Doug Pryor for generously sponsoring the match ball and everyone who turned out to watch the game. The Lions are away to Sidmouth in the league tomorrow (3pm).