By Ian Rigg

Last updated at 13:26, Thursday, 28 July 2011

CLUELESS and Embarrassing! That’s how Haven coach David Seeds summed up the huge defeat at title-chasing Swinton Lions at the weekend.

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The home side took the lead after only 53 seconds when Haven knocked on from the kick-off and gifted the ball back to the Lions, and this saw Ian Mort stroll through a huge gap on the left to score the opening try.

Haven did have a bit of a purple patch and put some pressure on the Lions’ line when firstly Spencer Miller broke through and fed Lewis Palfrey, who looked like he might score but he was stopped by a great tackle by Richard Flooks. And then Craig Benson had a chance on the left but knocked on near the line.

Benson had another chance on 11 minutes but could not bust the Lions’ defence.

Scott McAvoy then made a clean break and looked to be a scorer but he was brought down short by Mort. It was, in fact, Mort who stretched the Lions advantage on 19 minutes when he finished off a four-man move to score by the posts and add the conversion, and six minutes later prop Dana Wilson crashed over in the corner and Mort again converted.

Carl Sice was put on report by referee Dave Merrick for an incident in a tackle with Phil Joseph and Mort landed the easy penalty.

It was a good half for Mort as he ended it by scoring his third try seven minutes from the break, having chipped Benson and winning the race for the touchdown which he again converted to give the Lions a big advantage at the break.

Haven started the second half on the back foot as the Lions went close to scoring again when Dale Cunniffe was denied. But Benson then put out a nice pass for Matthew Haggerty near the line but he lost the ball and the chance went.

It got even worse for Haven on 47 minutes when Rob Foxen intercepted a loose Haven pass and he raced away to score by the posts and Mort converted.

The Lions then ran in two more tries in a four-minute period midway through the half when Martin Ainscough scored off an Andy Gorski pass and then Joseph went over on the right but Mort missed both these conversions.

Sice looked as though he might score on 63 minutes but he was clattered ball and all by Danny Meekin inches short of the try line.

Wilson claimed his second try for the Lions with 11 minutes left when Gorski again was the provider and Mort converted, but Haven spent the last few minutes of the match trying to break the Lions’ defence but without any effect.

Match facts

Lions: Mort, Flooks, Dodd, Hurst, Foxen, Ainscough, Watson, Thompson, Smith, Holland, Cunniffe, Gorski, Joseph. Subs: Ashall, Wilson, D Hawkyard, Meekin.

Tries: Mort (1,19,33), Wilson (25,69) Foxen (47), Ainscough (53), Joseph (57).

Goals: Mort 6/9.

Haven: Benson, Hamzat, McAvoy, Bauer, Calvert, Palfrey, Rudd, Isakka, Smith, Cullnean, S Miller, Doran, Beattie. Subs : Sice, Hill, D Miller, Haggerty.

Referee: Dave Merrick.

Attendance: 679.

Star Man: Scott McAvoy.

First published at 11:06, Thursday, 28 July 2011
Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk