Skolars kept up the chase for the play-offs spots in Co-operative Championship 1 as they scored 64 points for the second week running.
They scored 11 unanswered tries after South Wales had taken an early lead when Rhodri Lloyd slipped through the defence. Skolars were quick to level the scores when Andy McLean made a break, continued by Neil Thorman and Lamont Bryan, with Bryan offloading to Matt Thomas to score. Three minutes later they took the lead when Dylan Skee finished off a Thorman break.
The rest of the first half was tight and give little indication of what was to come. Skolars third try of the half came on the half hour when Andy McLean kicked a high bomb centre field for Lamont Bryan to touchdown under the posts. For the Scorpions Dalton Grant went close but couldn’t quite win a kick chase to the line.
Thorman broke away again early in the second half. Parry made a fine tackle to stop Bryan, but Skee was on hand at the next tackle to cross the line for his second. Martyn Smith then broke through on the next set of six with Brad Hopkins recording his tenth league try of the season. Thorman created yet another break for Ben Bolger to score. Skee had a wonderful day with the boot, but this was the one conversion he missed.
The Scorpions had a couple of chances close to the line but the Skolars defence held out, something that will have pleased coach Joe Mbu considerably. They counterattacked and Skee kicked deep for the left corner and it looked like Jason Howell would beat Smokie Junor to the ball, but it held up and Hopkins gratefully pounced on it for his second try. Dave Williams stretched over the line to notch up the half century soon afterwards.
Scorpions couldn’t hold onto the ball from a short restart and from the scrum Skolars pushed the ball to the left for Junor to race down the wing before cutting across to score under the posts to the delight of the home crowd, many of whom have witnessed being on the receiving end of such scorelines in previous seasons. Neil Thorman danced round David James for the final try before Skee added his 10th conversion of the day. That gave the scrum half 28 points and a new club record, beating the 26 he recorded against North Wales earlier in the season.
The man of the match sponsored by The Mall, Wood Green Shopping City went to Rob Thomas. The players player award sponsored by Laurent Perrier went to Martyn Smith.
LONDON SKOLARS
1 James Anthony
2 John Paxton
3 Joe Price
4 Dave Arnot
5 Smokie Junor
6 Andy McLean
7 Dylan Skee
8 Lamont Bryan
9 Neil Thorman
10 David Williams
11 Brad Hopkins
12 Matt Thomas
13 Ben Bolger
Subs (all used)
14 Rob Thomas
15 Michael Sykes
16 Martyn Smith
17 James Roche
Tries: M Thomas (6), Skee (9,43), Bryan (30), Paxton (51), Hopkins (54,66), Bolger (57), Williams (74), Junor (76), Thorman (79)
Goals: Skee 10/11
SOUTH WALES
8 David James
3 Jason Howells
24 Alan Pope
25 Kevin James
9 Dalton Grant
18 Ben Gilbert
7 Shaun Owens
16 Joe Burke
19 Nathan Mossop
20 Alun Wyn Davies
14 Matthew Crow
13 Rhodri Lloyd
11 Ashley Bateman
Subs (all used)
1 Steve Parry
4 Osian Phillips
5 Like Kell
15 Yannic Parker
Tries: Lloyd (3)
Goals: Owens 1/1
Penalty count: 11-5
Half-time: 18-6
Referee: G Dolan
Attendance: 290
SCORING SEQUENCE: 0-6, 6-6, 12-6, 18-12, 24-6, 30-6, 36-6, 40-6, 46-6, 52-6, 58-8, 64-6
