After a rest week for Lymm’s Senior rugby teams – but a hectic period for Lymm’s panto troupe who will have completed 6 out of a scheduled 9 performances and already entertained around 900 “pantogoers” by the time matches kick-off on Saturday – Lymm’s First XV restart their 2025/26 campaign with a first ever visit to Barnstaple Rugby Club.

According to the history books, rugby has been played at Barnstaple, or Barum (derived from the town’s Latin name of ad Barnastapolitum it seems), since Victorian times, with the first known reference being to a match played on 27^th November 1874.  Barnstaple Football Club was officially founded a couple of years later in 1877 at a meeting of Barnstaple Gentlemen at the Fortesque Hotel (what is it about rugby clubs being founded in the back rooms of public houses…?).

In those early days, Barnstaple went from strength to strength and, in 1896/7 was declared “Champions of the West”, regularly playing and beating teams such as Swansea, Llanelli, Coventry and Saracens.  Barnstaple relocated to its present ground at Pottingham Road in 1921 and has become a real community club boasting 3 senior teams and a vibrant Mini & Junior rugby section.

In recent times, Barnstaple was promoted to Level 4 for the 21/22 season, only to be relegated to Level 5 in 22/23.  However, they won their Level 5 league (Regional 1 South West) last season and have certainly turned heads on their return to Level 4 this season – currently sitting in 3^rd place with 8 wins out of 11 and 42 league points already in the bag.  Whilst Lymm are only one place in the table below Barnstaple, we are 7 points adrift, having won 7 out of 11 matches and with an inferior accumulation of bonus points.  As far as the 5 common fixtures that Lymm and Barnstaple have played thus far this season (Luctonians (A); Chester (H); Redruth (A); Loughborough (H); Camborne (A)) both teams have a 3-2 win/loss record, with Lymm slightly shading it on points difference with 156-142 against Barnstaple’s 123-142.

Having prevailed over a very competitive Taunton Titans in a thrilling and entertaining match-up, last time out Lymm will board the bus on Friday evening confident that they have a squad capable of causing an upset in North Devon, where Barnstaple will be firm favourites given their current, unblemished home record.  The Lymm squad shows a number of changes from last time out with, once again, the Friday departure leading to a number of players being unavailable for the trip.  Overall, 6 players – Alfie Simpson, Sam Wicks, James Yates, Ben Thompson, Harry Wadsdell and Tom Shard – have been replaced by fit-again Jack Reynolds; available-again Dylan Hodkinson; and Matt Hill, Rory Cartlidge, Alex Mukherjee and Cormac Nolan, all promoted from the 2nd XV.  It is pleasing to see Rory Cartlidge back in the First XV squad after a torrid time with injury and it is especially pleasing to welcome record points scorer Cormac Nolan back after more than 2 years out injured.

So yes, you guessed it – it appears that another close and compelling fixture is on the cards.  And I’m sure that as with every other club we have visited for the first time this season on our Adventure in the West, there will be a warm welcome for us from all the folk of Barnstaple Rugby Club.

Other Senior games this weekend:

Lymm 2nd XV v Sedgley Park 2nd XV Postponed

Lymm Eagles v Stockport 3rds at Home KO 2:15pm

Andy Leach