Westcliff ……12
Leics Lions……19
WESTCLIFF were frustrated for the second time at home this season as their visitors' experience at this level was sufficient to see them come away with the spoils.
Two evenly-matches sides vied for ascendancy for the first quarter before Lions were able to break away down the left flank and allow Devon Conway the opening try.
A series of rolling mauls close to the Leicester line eventually saw Westcliff tie the scores, with a try from influential second row Joe Vandermolen, Greg Bannister converting.
With half-time approaching Lions mounted pressure and a surge saw Ed Sumpter over the line with the last move of the opening 40.
Slack tackling was to be Westcliff ‘s undoing in the second half as a strong run from Lions winger Kez Henderson saw him cover more than half the pitch before freeing full-back Sam Benjamin, who cleverly linked back the pass.
Greg Loydall's conversion took Lions 12 points clear, with the visitors having upped the ante since the interval.
To Westcliff's credit they refused to lie down, and with the rattled visitors losing two players to the bin after pressure close to their line, it seemed that an escape might be on.
Chances fell astray before a last-gasp try from winger Alan Triana secured a bonus point.
TEAMS
WESTCLIFF: James, Triana, Bannister, Bolton, Hogarth, Croft, Morrant H, Weston, Morrant B, Binneman, Scogings, Vandermolen, Webber, Marsh, Reynolds
Replacements: McKeith, Binstead, Dellas, Kwassi, Webster
LEICESTER: Benjamin, Henderson, Veebel, Hamilton, Constant, Loydall, Stubbs, Roberts, Taylor, Murray, Sumpter, Ward, Godefroy, Murdoch, Cairns
Replacements: Loveday, Rudkin, Johnson S, Johnson M, Smit
REFEREE: Sam Phillips
ATTENDANCE: 204
Star man
Greg Loydall – Leicester Lions
