A Team vs Portico Vine
Try Scorers
Conversions
Penalties
Match Report
On a warm afternoon in St Helens, the A Team took to the field under sunshine for what would prove to be a physical and fiercely contested encounter.
The first half was a classic arm wrestle, with both forward packs digging deep and battling for territory in the middle. The breakthrough came when the Lions’ attacking structure paid off; slick hands across the line saw Josh Holt dart over untouched out wide, giving the visitors an early 4-0 lead.
However, a series of costly errors handed Portico valuable field position, and the home side capitalised with two unanswered tries, swinging momentum in their favour. Tensions then boiled over, resulting in both teams receiving a red card and being reduced to 12 men.
Just before the halftime whistle, Reece Derbyshire produced a sharp offload to Jack Hesketh, who drew in two defenders before delivering a perfectly timed pass to 17-year-old debutant Caleb Weed. The youngster showed composure beyond his years, finishing in style on the wing to level the scores at 8-8 heading into the break.
The second half saw the Lions come out firing. Caleb Weed turned provider this time, racing down the sideline before delivering a spectacular no-look, one-handed offload inside to Aaron Leigh, who raced under the sticks to score. Leigh added the extras, putting the Lions ahead 8-14.
Sensing an opportunity to close the game out, Westhoughton continued to apply pressure. Crisp, expansive ball movement found Harvey Williams in space on the far wing, and the winger made no mistake, diving over to extend the lead.
The final blow came from captain Jack Hesketh, who spotted space on the blind side and powered through to ground the ball in the corner, sealing a deserved and hard-earned 8-22 victory for the Lions.
Man of the Match Picks (as selected by Portico Vine):
1. Harvey Williams – Excellent finishing and tireless work on the wing.
2. Jack Hesketh – Relentless carries from prop, and involved in two tries.
3. Brian Schofield – Strong presence at Loose Forward, impactful runs and creative distribution to the halves.
Quote of the day went to head coach Mark Fairclough: “3 Wins in a row, I think we’ve forgotten how to lose?!?”