Ian Rigg reports from Park Lane

Skolars staged a second half fight back to claim their first league point of the season in an end-to-end game at Park Lane.

The Lions took the lead in the third minute when the Skolars lost the ball in their own half and Bruce Johnson burst through the defence, sold a dummy to the full-back and dived over under the posts. Gary Sykes converted for a 6-0 lead.

Skolars tried to fight back when Puna Rasaubale put out a good pass to Matt Thomas who was in the clear but he could not keep hold of the ball and the chance went.

The Lions lead was increased in the ninth minute when Martin Moana and Andy Saywell combined down the right to send Darren Gibson racing away to score with Sykes again adding the extras.

There were other chances for the Lions as they were starting to take control of the game and both Dean Gorton and Marlon Billy had chances but both were snubbed out by some good Skolars defence.

Corey Simms had a chance to hit back for Skolars when Paul Thorman sent a kick for the corner but Wayne English won the foot race to stop the danger.

Saywell added the next Lions try on the half hour when Billy intercepted a pass near his own line and raced ten metres into the Skolars half before being tackled and though he seemed to lose the ball in the tackle the officials allowed play to go on. From the play-the-ball it was swung to the right and Chris Hull put out a good pass for the Lions winger to race in but Darren Bamford failed with the touchline conversion.

Six minutes later the Lions were in again when Moana went through a gap in the Skolars defence and handed the ball to Gibson who drew the Skolars fullback Jermaine Coleman before handing the ball on to the supporting English who scored under the posts and Bamford added the simple conversion.

Skolars had the final chance of the half when centre Namila Davui made a good break down the right before kicking ahead for the line but again the fleet footed English was too fast for him and he gathered the ball to bring it clear for the Lions.

It looked as if the Lions were going to take Skolars to the cleaners when English added the next Lions try just fifty-five seconds into the second half when he again raced in under the posts and Bamford added the goal points.

The first Skolars attack of the second half came on forty-seven minutes when Alan Barker combined with Ashley Tozer down the left but Saywell had to knock the ball dead in goal. From the resulting drop-out Simms went close only to lose the ball on the last tackle as he went for the corner.

The Lions defence eventually cracked on fifty-one minutes when Tozer combined to send Austen Aggrey over by the posts and Thorman added the simple conversion.

Five minutes later Thorman put up a bomb kick and Coleman rose the highest to collect the ball ahead of English to again score by the posts with Thorman again adding the goal points.

Dene Miller made a good break down the left for the Skolars on the hour but Barker could not hold onto the pass with the line at his mercy.

Tozer added the Skolars third try five minutes later after a good passing movement and again Thorman added the conversion to put his team in bonus point territory.

The Lions hit back ten minutes from time when some pressure on the Skolars line saw English send out a pass to the left for Gorton to cross in the corner and Chris Brand added the conversion from the touchline.

There was another Lions chance a few minutes later when Hull went through the Skolars defence to hand the ball to English and with a three to one overlap the pass went to Tozer and the chance went.

Skolars secured their bonus point with two minutes left when Jamie Howland crossed from short range and Thorman again converted.