Doyle bags a debut double for Luton RFC
The visitors have achieved five consecutive promotions and won the previous fixture 41-22 but a late resurgence secured an exceptional win for Paul Allen’s side.
The Old Priorians were quick to stamp their authority on the game, scoring a try through full-back Seb Oddi.
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Hide AdJames Booth had the responsibility of taking the Twisters conversions but sent his strike wide of the mark.
Not long after, Luton had a penalty but Rik Hobbs’ effort went astray.
The home side would pay dearly for their failure to take advantage as the referee signalled for an Old Priorians penalty.
Booth slotted home to make the score 8-0, but on the stroke of half time, Luton were given a lifeline as Hobbs successfully tucked away a penalty to reduce the deficit.
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Hide AdThe second half began similarly to the first as Luton’s Tom Mahendran spilled the ball which led to a counter attack.
Booth seized the opportunity to touch down and despite missing the conversion appeared to have knocked Luton out of contention at 13-3 behind.
However, within minutes Tesh Edwards brought Luton back into the game.
Using his incredible acceleration, the 27-year-old crossed for Luton’s first try of the afternoon, although Hobbs was unable to add the extras.
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Hide AdIn the 54th minute, new boy Doyle brought the home side level with a courageous try.
Hobbs continued his wayward kicking, keeping the scores at 13-13 to set up a nail-biting conclusion.
With belief restored, the home side were on the front foot continuously targeting the wings in an attempt to use the pace of Maderi, Edwards and Johnny Wright.
In the 77th minute, Luton completed their amazing comeback.
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Hide AdDoyle grabbed his second try of the afternoon, intelligently losing his marker and diving over the line to edge Luton into the lead for the first time.
At 18-13, it was up to Hobbs to ensure the game would be out of the Twisters’ reach and the fly half managed to do so, as Luton stayed strong for the final few minutes to make it three wins in a row.