MATCH REPORT

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QUICK FIRE QUESTIONS WITH LOUGHBOROUGH LIGHTING VS SARACENS EMILY SCARRATT AND HELEN NELSON MATCH REPORT

LOUGHBOROUGH LIGHTNING V HARLEQUINS 9

FULL TIME: LOUGHBOROUGH LIGHTNING 21-34 SARACENS HOME TEAM (SARACENS) TRIES: Campbell 12, 30, Clifford 41, Campbell 45, Evans 80 CONVERSIONS: Wyrwas 12, Williams 45, 80, Williams (Pen) 77

AWAY TEAM (LOUGHBOROUGH

LIGHTNING) TRIES: Bolger 3, 53, 57 CONVERSIONS: Hardy 3, 53, 57

Loughborough Lightning fell to a 34-21 defeat against Saracens in the first round of the Allianz Premier15s during a tense encounter at the StoneX Stadium.

Lightning had an electric start and found themselves on the scorecard early when the ball was worked out to Lauren Bolger, who ran the ball in from her own half in the third minute. Emma Hardy added the extras to give the visiting side a 0-7 lead.

Saracens responded to this early pressure ten minutes later, with May Campbell going over from driving maul and Ella Wyrwas converting to level the game

Both sides pushed to get another score but it was Saracens who broke the deadlock when Campbell added her second after 30 minutes, sending the home side into the break with a 12-7 lead. Clifford powered over after the home side gathered the ball from the restart. Just a few minutes later, Campbell added a bonus point score with her third of the game, again from a driving maul to extend Saracens lead to 24-7. A yellow card for Saracen’s Isla Alejandro on 49th minute quickly altered the dynamic of the game.

Lightning took advantage of their extra player and Bolger ran in a second after a stunning line break from Georgia Bradley.With 57 minutes on the clock, Bolger grabbed a hat trick after intercepting on the wing and running in under the posts, with Hardy converting to reduce the deficit to three.

Despite repeated efforts from Lightning to grab a fourth, Saracens slotted a penalty in the final few minutes before Georgia Evans scored with the clock in the red to secure the victory for the London side.

LOUGHBOROUGH LIGHTNING: Lingham, Bolger, Tasker, Hardy, Swartz, Davey, Weaver, Trevarthen, Field, Harper, Ives Campion, Bradley, Allen, Meuller, HibbertJones REPLACEMENTS: WWaudby, Baverstock, Curphey, Clifford, Williams, Prothero, Linn, Luthayi

SARACENS: Alejandro, Grant, Casey, Wardle, Evans, Johnson, Wyrwas, Turl, Campbell, Clifford, Mcintosh, Tansley, Evans, Kasolo, Moore REPLACEMENTS: Rettie, Gooding, Loyola, Schutzler, Mcmillan, Goddard, Williams, Clapp