Browse Sections

• Salford City Reds
• Local football
• Local cricket

Lions mauled by former coach

Claire Mooney
27/ 5/2004

National League Two
Swinton Lions 10
Barrow Raiders 46

Former coach Peter Roe returned to Swinton to give five of his ex-players an object lesson in professionalism and organisation.

Roe and the Lions parted company before the move to Park Lane but you would not have thought so the way his Barrow side made the most of the wide pitch and the deep in-goal areas.

Scrum-half Darren Holt has tormented Swinton in the past and it was his magnificent kicking game on Sunday which caused problems as he peppered the defence with telling shots from start to finish.

That meant a difficult afternoon for home full-back Wayne English, while his visiting counterpart, Craig Bower, had a day to remember; scoring five tries, including a first-half hat-trick.

Aussie Bower started the try-scoring with a ninth minute touchdown in the corner after Holt had notched the first points with a penalty.

The two key men of the afternoon were in harmony for the Raiders' second try, with Holt's kick allowing Bower another easy score.

On a deeply disappointing day, captain Peter Cannon never stopped trying and went over from close range on 23 minutes.

He almost scored again minutes later but the ball went to ground. Barrow tightened the noose with two more tries, first for Bower and then for prop Stuart Dancer.

Two more tries in the first nine minutes of the second half - for Tama Wakelin and Bower again - made it 36-6 and the Lions were well and truly out of it. Straight from the restart, Holt set up Paul Jones for the easiest of tries.

Ryan Stazicker pulled one back for Swinton but the afternoon ended with Bower completing his 20-point haul.

Swinton: English, Thorpe, Bolton, Maye, Roach, Patel, Ayres, Loughlin, Cannon, Cushion, Stazicker, Smith, Sinfield. Subs: Irwin, Hodson, Wingfield, Liku.

Barrow: Bower, Irabor, Reid, Jones, Pate, Archer, Holt, Dancer, Clark, Lupton, Whitehead, King, Pugh. Subs: Wakelin, Leigh, Atkinson, Beech.

Ref: Robert Connolly.

Att: 504.