Cougars 26 Swinton Lions 33

COUGARS crashed to their third straight defeat of pre-season after a second-half fightback against League One rivals Swinton fell just short.

Player-coach Paul March welcomed back Gavin Duffy, Daley Williams and Jode Sherfiffe, while hooker Luke Haigh also returned after missing the 86-0 hammering at Leigh with an eye injury sustained against Barrow.

Cougars tailed when Ritchie Hawkyard and Stuart Littler touched down in opposite corners, both tries coming from mistakes by the home side.

The Cougars narrowed the gap down to four when Jesse Sheriffe took advantage of a dummy runner to race in under the sticks after great pressure by the home side.

But Lions full back Chris Atkin finished off a sweeping Swinton move before Jimmy Rowland charged down a Danny Jones kick to score.

Any real chance of a Cougars comeback looked over just minutes into the second half as Rowland caught the ball and touched down after Ben White’s clever chip on the last tackle.

Gavin Duffy went over in the corner from Jones’ crossfield kick but Connor Dwyer fought over from dummy half two minutes later for the visiting side.

Swinton prop Mike Morrison was sinbinned on the hour for leading with the elbow and Cougars had the scent of a comeback victory.

Matt Bailey crossed after clever play by Luke Haigh with Paul White breaking down the left wing to race over in the corner from the restart.

And the gap between the two sides was reduced to a converted try as Morrison returned to the field before Danny Lawton broke to give Duffy grabbed his second off the afternoon.

But despite being on the back foot for the majority of the game’s final quarter, Swinton’s victory was assured through Ben White’s late drop-goal.

Cougars coach Scott Lindsey said: “We didn’t start playing until sixty minutes in after the lad (Morrison) got sin binned. It’s not good enough.”

COUGARS: Jesse Sheriffe, Duffy, Williams, Lawton, White, Jones, Handforth, Law, Feather, Rawlins, Lindsay, Lynam, D March. Interchanges (All Used): Peltier, Haigh, Jode Sheriffe, Bailey, Watson, Darville, P March.

LIONS: Atkin, Robinson, Littler, Rothwell, Hawkyard, White, Rowland, M Morrison, Ackers, I Morrison, Dwyer, Beecham, Austin. Interchanges: Hulme (Not Used), Lloyd, J Morrsion, Ball, Coleman.