Worthing Raiders 36 London Scottish Lions 38
Saturday 10th October 2026
Match report and photos by Colin Coulson
This should have been the opening game of the season on 6th September but due to the delayed start to the campaign, it was rescheduled for this weekend.
Last season saw raiders win one and lose one against London Scottish Lions, both games producing entertaining rugby.
After an exciting win away from home the previous week, Raiders came into this game with plenty of confidence.
Selection was again hampered by the number of players unavailable. Dan Wallis Downham and Dave Winsor both picked up injuries against Brunel putting the casualty list well into double figures. Altogether five changes were made to the squad as the coaches brought in Matt Bosworth, Austin Steele, Sam Cook, Lewis Reed and Joel Andrews.
The visitors kicked off and rather like the previous week had the better of the early minutes scoring two tries to lead by 0-12 with fourteen minutes played.
The home side were finding it difficult to get their hands on the ball and thus remained pinned down in defence.
Things began to improve when a good tackle by scrum half Stan Keats allowed Tom Adams to get his hands on the ball in the ruck and turn the ball over. Some fine approach play followed, and Struan Robertson just failed to cross the line as the defence held firm. However, in the build up London Scottish Lions conceded a penalty which Ed Hartley kicked to touch for a Raiders’ Lineout. With the ball secured from the throw in, the forwards set up a drive to the line and Peter Welsh touched down. Ed Hartley missed the conversion but the visitors lead was reduced to seven points, 5-12.
As the game moved into the second quarter it became a much more even contest although the hosts were guilty of making a few handling errors causing promising attacks to break down.
As the half hour mark arrived, good work by Austin Steele and Stan Keats had brought Raiders from deep in their own territory to within ten metres of the visitors’ try line.
There then followed a series of half breaks and off loads by Raiders before the ball was moved through the hands to Diogo Pina on the right wing, who rounded off the move scoring in the corner. Ed Hartley’s conversion attempt narrowly missed leaving the visitors with only a two-point lead at 10-12.
Within a few minutes London Scottish Lions extended their lead with a converted try. The score now 10-19 with a couple of minutes left to the break.
Raiders hit back on the stroke of half time. The forwards set in motion a driving maul from a line out fifteen metres from the visitors’ try line. When halted there were several individual attempts to cross the line from close range, until eventually Peter Welsh burst through a tackle and reached out to touch down. Ed Hartley again was just wide of the mark with the conversion attempt but as the sides went in for the half time break, the visitors’ lead was cut to four points.
Half time score: Worthing Raiders 15 London Scottish Lions 19
The home side restarted the game, the visitors failed to catch the ball and after a couple of bounces, Leo Ravaudet snatched it out of the air and touched down under the posts. Almost impossible to score more quickly from a restart. Ed Hartley converted and Raiders now had the lead at 22-19. Just the start needed for Raiders.
London Scottish Lions then received a yellow card for a high tackle on Peter Welsh, who had to leave the field for treatment to a cut on his face. Ed Hartley put it into touch deep inside the twenty-two and the forwards drove towards the goal line from the ensuing lineout. The drive was unstoppable and skipper Elliott Luke touched down, and Ed Hartley added the extras to extend the lead to 29-19.
Raiders were playing well and were creating good attacking situations.
The home team scored another converted try after twenty-six minutes. The visitors’ scrum half broke up the blind side from a scrum; Luke Gill put in a heavy tackle which dislodged the ball. Stan Keats picked it up and set up another attack which resulted in Elliott Luke scoring his second try from close range. Ed Hartley again converted and gave the home side a 36-19 lead.
Shortly after Luke Gill received a yellow card, but despite being a man down they thwarted the visitors’ attacks until the twenty-fifth minute when Scottish scored an unconverted try to close the gap to 36-24.
The last ten minutes became rather frenetic, Raiders conceding five penalties, and two further yellow cards for technical offences.
Now trying to defend their lead with thirteen players the visitors made the numbers count, firstly scoring another seven pointer to get within five points and then, long into overtime, drawing level at 36-36 with the last play of the game. This left a touchline kick for the visitors to snatch the victory, and they did with a well struck conversion.
Full-time score: Worthing Raiders 36 London Scottish Lions 38
A very disappointing outcome after an all-round excellent performance by the squad for seventy minutes.
Victory looked almost a formality at 36-19 but three yellow cards in the final fifteen minutes and some refereeing decisions that baffled the spectators made it exceedingly difficult for Raiders to hold on to the win.
On the positive side they had earned another two valuable bonus points in the league.
Leo Ravaudet was awarded The Castle Man of the Match.
Referee: Billy Huntley
Attendance: 345
Team:
Impact Players
Scorers:
T: Welsh (2), Pina, Ravaudet, Luke (2)
C: Hartley (3)
