Levi Atiga treble helps Workington Town to victory over Swinton Lions

WORKINGTON TOWN 32 SWINTON LIONS 12
IAN RIGG, Fibrus Community Stadium, Sunday

WORKINGTON made it back-to-back wins with an impressive attacking performance and a Levi Atiga hat-trick.

The home side took the lead in the third minute when Jake Bradley went over in the left corner after a kick through and Jake Carter converted.

Swinton then had a couple of good chances, but handling errors let them down at vital stages.

Town went further ahead when a good passing movement ended with Kiwi back Atiga crashing in wide out, but Carter missed this conversion.

Dom Wear stretched the lead on 23 minutes when he capitalised on an error by George Roby to race away and score between the posts with Carter this time adding the two.

The fourth home try came again from a Lions kick through, and Zarrin Galea swept up the ball and raced 50 metres through the centre of the pitch to score under the bar, with Carter converting.

There were another couple of attacks on the Swinton line before Frank Sergent put the visitors on the scoreboard just before the break. Dan Abram kicked the goal from the touchline.

Swinton had early pressure on the Workington line after the restart, but it was the Cumbrians who went further ahead on 49 minutes when Atiga went in for his second after an initial Dave Eccleston break down the left, although Carter was unable to improve.

Three minutes later, Atiga completed his hat-trick when he made a good run to score in the right corner and Carter converted this one.

Swinton prop Jordan Brown was sent to the sin bin for a dangerous tackle on 58 minutes, but Workington could do nothing with the extra-man advantage and in fact it was their opponents who had more of the ball while he was off.

Kian Morgan, playing his first Swinton game, had a good chance on 65 minutes, but the Workington defence held him out, and then Sergent had a chip and chase but ran out of support.

It was Swinton who scored the last try of the match with three minutes left when Gav Rodden and Morgan combined to enable Roby to scoot from the play-the-ball and dive in on the left with Abram again adding the two, although by then, the game was well won by Workington.

GAMESTAR: Workington’s Levi Atiga scored three well-taken tries to secure the points.

GAMEBREAKER: Town’s first put them in the box seat.

MATCHFACTS
TOWN
1 Zarrin Galea
20 Dave Eccleston
3 Rio Corkill
29 Spencer Fulton
2 Levi Atiga
28 Jake Carter
7 Dom Wear
8 Ross Ainley
21 Callum Phillips
10 Stevie Scholey
11 Cooper Howlett
12 Jake Bradley
13 Jack Stephenson
Subs (all used)
9 Jamie Doran
16 Guy Graham
24 Lucas Castle
25 Callum Farrer

Tries: Bradley (3), Atiga (18, 49, 52), Wear (23), Galea (28)
Goals: Carter 4/6

LIONS
1 Louie Roberts
3 Reagan Sumner
22 Aaron Lynch
4 Kian Morgan
25 Frank Sergent
1 Dan Abram
32 Finn Rogers
8 Adam Sidlow
18 Tommy Porter
20 Jamie Reddecliff
11 Gav Rodden
16 Finley Beardsworth
13 Kenny Baker
Subs (all used)
9 George Roby
15 Jordan Brown
5 Harry Higham
10 Bobby Shingler