Peterborough Lions emerged comfortable winners of the big local derby against arch rivals Peterborough (Borough) at Bretton Park this afternoon (Saturday).

They took the honours 35-13 to continue their mightily impressive start to life in Midlands Division One East. It was their seventh win from eight games.

The first ever league clash between the two teams - the Lions were promoted to this level last season - attracted a crowd of over 500 fans eager to discover which club boasted the best team in Peterborough.

And, in truth, there was never any doubt. From the moment John-Christian Sagoe dived over in the corner to score a well-worked try for the Lions after six minutes, there looked only one likely winner.

Saad Sait, Oli Story and Gedis Marcisauskas were involved in the lovely, flowing move that brought Sagoe his try and Jaco Steenberg converted.

Skipper Sait was then sin-binned for a technical offence but it didn’t halt the hungry Lions and they roared into a 13-0 lead with 26 minutes gone as Steenberg, who controlled the game superbly at fly-half, slotted two penalties.

With half-time approaching, Borough tried to mount a fightback through their big men - Mark Hodges, Pete Kolakowski and John Harlock in particular - but the Lions defended soundly with prop Tom Laws and flanker Chris Humphrey making some massive hits.

Just before the interval the lead was increased to 20-0 as Marius Andrijauskas crashed through the heart of the Borough defence to set up a try for Humphrey and Steenberg was on target again with the kick.

Borough then produced their best spell of rugby for the opening 20 minutes of the second period.

Sparked by a Jonny Beall try following a cracking 50-yard break by Adam Peel, which Duncan Low converted, the visitors from Fengate at last began to make a game of it.

With Kolakowski the driving force they dominated possession and territory and reduced the deficit to 20-10 with a Low penalty on 53 minutes.

Jacques Vorster’s counter-attack led to a Steenberg penalty and the lead moved to 23-10 but Borough hit back again through the boot of Low to make it 23-13.

For the first time in the match the Lions were ruffled and their supporters were getting edgy. And when Humphrey was sin-binned and Laws received a straight red following a bout of fisticuffs at a maul, there was genuine concern within the home camp.

But instead of wilting under the extra pressure of being two men down, they thrived on it and finished the job off in style with first Marcisauskas touching down after good running by Max Guseinov and Sait, and then alert scrum-half Laurent Ross catching Borough asleep to score from a tapped penalty a few yards out. Steenberg converted the latter.

In the second team clash between the two clubs earlier, it was Borough who won this one 27-15 with tries from Aaron Beschizza, Jamie Lovett, Frankie Cook, John Sismey and John Thompson.