By ANDREW JACKSON

Skolars continued where they left off against Cornwall last week, recording their highest score of the season with full-back Jarred Bassett scoring four tries for the second time in two games. It won’t have been often that either set of players have played in such noise, with the sound system from a Jamaican independence anniversary event in the park opposite
reverberating around the ground.
Kick-off was delayed by 15 minutes due to the late arrival of the Raiders and they got off to a bad start, kicking straight
into touch. It wasn’t long before Bassett scored his first try, coming into the attacking line on the right. The Raiders’
second kick-off was initially adjudged to have gone over the dead-ball line, but, they earned a goal-line drop-out after
consultation between the match officials. They couldn’t make the possession count and, when Skolars moved downfield,
Bassett timed his run onto Lyon’s kick to perfection. He looked to have scored a third two minutes later, but put a foot in
touch as he went for the tryline.
However, it wasn’t long before Skolars scored again, with Christian Gale bursting through the defence.
A good run from Archie Whitlock finally saw the Raiders move downfield and Keenan Dyer-Dixon was the first one to
reach a kick to the right.
Skolars won possession from Lyon’s restart that found touch 10 metres from the tryline and after forcing a goal-line drop-
out, Lyon diagonal run eased past the defence. Their next set saw them move upfield and the defence moved to cover
Lameck Juma as Neil Thorman looked to pass to the left. However, he’d kept hold of the ball and strolled over the tryline
Adam Vrahnos finished off a Liam O’Callaghan break before Bassett completed a hat-trick, plucking the ball out of the air
from another Lyon kick just before half-time.
Raiders opened the second half scoring, with Dyer-Dixon finishing off wide on the right. There was a little luck in Skolars’
next try, a kick from Jacob Thomas ricocheting off an opponent back into his hands. A break by Bassett was continued by
Lyon creating an overlap for Aaron Small to touchdown.
Raiders were varying their kick-offs and they won possession this time, albeit after a head clash that took Jonathan Bell
out of the game. However, as they passed out to their left, Leighton Ball intercepted running 50 metres before being
stopped by Dyer-Dixon, who was rather harshly sin-binned for holding down.
Skolars exploited the resultant gap in the defence, a forward pass denying Anthony Cox before they switched the ball to
the left for Jerome Yates to leap over the tryline in the corner.
Once back at full strength, West Wales had their best period of play, Lewis Allen finishing off a Ben Jones break, before
Michael Holden found a gap in the centre of defence.
However, that spell didn’t last long and inevitably, it was Bassett whose change pace allowed him to evade the defence.
O’Callaghan touched down three minutes later with Lyon adding his tenth conversion of the afternoon for a 24 point haul
LONDON SKOLARS
1 Jarred Bassett
2 Leighton Ball
3 Jacob Thomas
4 Aaron Small
5 Jerome Yates
6 Alex Deery
7 Phil Lyon
8 Judd Greenhalgh
9 Neil Thorman
10 Christian Gale
11 Adam Vrahnos
12 Lameck Juma
13 Matt Ross
Subs (all used)
14 Jonathan Bell
17 Liam O’Callaghan
22 Anthony Cox
15 Harry Kaufman
Tries: Bassett (6, 10,39,75), Gale (16), Lyon (26),Thorman (29) Vrahnos (34), Thomas (47), Small (54), O’Callaghan (78)
Goals: Lyon 10/12
WEST WALES
1 Michael Holden
18 Keenan Dyer-Dixon 14 Archie Whitlock
3 Aiden Coleman
2 Louis O’Sullivan
1 Ben Jones
7 Fergus Simpson
10 Ewan Badham
17 Shane Lee
21 Ieuan Badham
11 Lewis Allen
12 Rhys Davies
13 Joe Burke
Subs (all used)
19 Sam Pridgeon
4 Luke Broster
20 Harry Boots
15 Callum Merrett
Tries: Dyer-Dixon (20,44),Allen (67), Holden (70)
Goals: Simpson 1/3, Lee 0/1
Sin-bin: Dyer-Dixon (57) -professional foul
Penalty count: 8-3
Half-time: 40-4
Referee: RyanCox
Att: 230
SCORING SEQUENCE: 4-0. 10-0, 16-0, 16-4, 22-4, 28-4, 34-4, 40-4; 40-8, 46-8, 50-8, 56-8, 56-12, 56-18. 62-18, 68-18