Maidenhead show survival spirit but London Scottish Lions fightback for victory

Maidenhead 25, London Scottish Lions 34

Maidenhead were beaten 34-25 by London Scottish Lions at Braywick Park on Saturday afternoon in a game which encapsulates and sums up their entire season.

David Mobbs-Smith’s side will come out of it wondering how they haven’t managed to take anything from a game they gave so much to and were the better side in for close on 60 minutes.

The defeat leaves them down in the bottom two, still two points behind Camberley and five adrift of Wimbledon in ninth place, but they can learn a great deal from this performance, and take a great deal from it too as they now know they can go toe-to-toe with the best sides in the division - especially at Braywick.

You wouldn’t know there were nine places between the two teams on the evidence of this game. Maids looked hungry to right a few wrongs in the first half - and make amends for some close defeats - as they bravely stood up to their visitors’ early pressure.

Angus Clogg slotted an early penalty kick, but this was quickly cancelled out by a sweetly struck penalty from Greg Smith and in the 22nd minute they came close to the first try of the game from a quick tap and go, but a loose pass on the try line saw the ball loop back into the hands of a Scottish player and they were able to clear.

You sensed Maids might rue these missed opportunities, and they failed to make the most of their dominant spells in the first 25 minutes, and Scottish Lions’ first try in the 26th minute must have felt like a punch to the gut. There would be more of them before the game was finished.

The visitors initially broke down the left through Harry Churchill. He was denied by a brilliant, try saving tackle from Lucas Norton, but the Lions retained possession and worked it out to the other flank where they had numbers over, and Cameron Wray swan dived over in the corner. Clogg missed the conversion and Maids were still within touching distance at 3-8.

Maids responded brilliantly as the game approached half-time, however, and their performance either side of the break will be as good as anything they’ve produced this season. First Norton darted out on the blind side of a rolling maul and touched down to make it 10-8 with Smith’s conversion.

Fly half James Marsh made another magnificent covering tackle to prevent the Lions from restoring their lead in the closing moments of the half before the hosts flipped the game on its head. Good work from Drew Prince saw them break through the Lions’ defences once more to make it 15-8. Smith’s conversion smacked against the woodwork and came back out, and you sensed Maids could have done with those extra points.

The early moments of the second half brought little respite for the visitors, however, with Maids scoring their third try in the 44th minute. Prince again looked like he might get in on the left flank, but he was pushed into touch. The hosts then won the lineout against the head and Chris Gill managed to puncture another hole in the Lions’ backline to make it 22-8 with Smith’s conversion.

Maids finally had some breathing space and were deservedly beating the second-best team in Regional 1 South Central, but the Lions came roaring back into the game.

They were clinical from their set pieces all afternoon and when they won a lineout over on the far-left touchline, they managed to force their way over to cut Maids’ lead to 22-15.

Smith slotted a penalty which pushed them back once again in the 51st minute, but from that moment - until the dying embers of the game - the home side were done as an attacking force.

London Scottish Lions began to turn the screw and scored their third try in somewhat fortunate circumstances in the 55th minute.

Having created space close to Maids’ try line they threw out a risky miss pass that just evaded the hands of Smith but was picked up by Churchill who ran in to score. With the conversion from Churchill, the Lions were back to within a couple of points at 25-22 and sensed victory was back within their grasp.

In the 64th minute they won another lineout close the line, after Maids had conceded another penalty - of which there were probably too many to win a game like this. The visitors turned the set piece into a rolling maul and there was a grim inevitability about what happened next as they scored again to make it 25-27.

Having been under the pump for a spell in the 73rd minute, Maids won a penalty and kicked for touch to relieve pressure and perhaps get back on the front foot in an attacking sense. But a sloppy lineout was snaffled by Scottish and that gave them the platform to attack once more and kill the game. It was a pivotal moment in the game.

Scott Prince got a huge cheer from the stands as he came on following a long-term injury as a second half substitute in the 76th minute, but there was nothing he - nor his teammates could do as the Lions clinched the win with a try from Clogg just before the 80-minute mark.

There was still time for Maids to kick off again and go in search of a try which would have brought them two bonus points - the least they deserved for such a committed performance. But Will Hibberdine and others were held up as they desperately tried to bash their way through on the tryline and Scottish held on for a 25-34 win which flattered them in many ways.

Maids now go to Worthing on February 28 knowing they’ll need a similar performance but a better result. With Wimbledon having lost at Old Alleynians and going down to an eye-watering 64-23 loss at bottom club Hammersmith & Fulham, the battle for survival is very much still on.