CHAMPIONS Slaithwaite Saracens finished off their Pennine League Division III campaign in style with a 50-0 victory over third-placed Lindley Swifts, who could have gained promotion with a win or a draw.
Losing in such heavy fashion will clearly have been a hammer blow for the Swifts, whose confidence will surely be shattered ahead of the sides’ Andrew Bennett Memorial Trophy final showdown at Dewsbury Rams’ Tetley’s Stadium on Monday (1.00).
Within 12 minutes, the Saracens had taken the lead when Richard Flooks finished off a superb move, and there was no looking back as the Swifts were swept away by their rampant hosts.
Six minutes later Flooks was over again, this time adding the conversion and 10 minutes later Darren Hawkyard rounded off another sweeping move to score a converted try.
Then four minutes later Mark Boothroyd raced 80m to cross out wide before he quickly added a second, again converted by Flooks, to make it 26-0 at the break.
Swifts coach Lance Gilbert had some harsh words for his side at half-time, and for the first five minutes of the second period Lindley looked a different team.
But when Matt Lodge crashed over and Flooks again obliged with the extras, it was all over as a contest, especially when Flooks quickly followed up to intercept a pass on halfway to race in unopposed.
Two further tries from Mick Bostock – to take him ahead of Darren Hawkyard in the club’s tryscoring list – and the Flooks conversions brought up the half-century to round off a memorable season for the Saracens.
However, for the Swifts, it left them with just eight days to get their act together for next Monday’s Trophy final day on May Day.
