Caldy Snr Colts 16
Lymm Snr Colts 19

In our post match huddle it was pointed out to the boys that victories such as this are how championships are won. Great teams find a way of winning when they do not play well and most importantly never give in and don’t panic when under scoreboard pressure.

Lymm started the game with several notable absentees against an ever improving Caldy side who were in to their full warm up seemingly before Lymm had approached the M56. Lymm stuck to their tried and tested preparations of listening to hideously loud ‘music’ for 20 minutes before strolling out to the pitch and bursting in to life.

Caldy were well drilled both in defence and attack. They had an impressive line out but Lymm had the upper hand in the all important scrum early on. Both teams had opportunities to score but it was difficult to penetrate defensive lines on a murky Wirral day. Alfie Simpson decided to try ‘passing’ to Joe Senior with a delightful aerial kick which bounced perfectly for Joe to score under the posts, 0-7. Joe had the bit between his teeth and was appearing all over the pitch with dangerous running lines and pace. He looked very much the 1st XV player that he has become. Unfortunately Joe sustained a head injury in one such raid on the Caldy line so he was withdrawn from the fray to fight another day.

Jack Wadsworth had an outstanding first half on the right wing culminating in an excellent try in the corner after some excellent hands through the backs, 0-12. Caldy as usual did not give up and also scored in the right corner just before the half time whistle, 5-12. Lymm had it all to do again. The half time talk reminded the boys to do the simple things well after such a long break from playing together. Ball carriers had to be supported more and ball presentation had to improve to negate the ever eager Caldy back row. Adam Bushell had certainly shown the way to go with an outstanding performance amongst a pack of heroes.

Caldy showed respect for the Lymm defensive line by choosing to kick a penalty in front of the posts rather than try and burst their way through the green brick wall, 8-12. Caldy were gaining momentum and the upper hand in possession and territory. The Lymm bench was rotated to ensure that the defensive effort from the Lymm forwards could be maintained. A singular loss of discipline by Lymm enabled Caldy to gain precious ground and they eventually found a gap on the left wing and scored an unconverted try, 13-12. The crowd, coaches and players of Caldy were getting excited by the prospect of finally beating Lymm. The Lymm bench remained calm and trusted the boys in green to stick to the plan with 20 minutes remaining.

The Caldy back 3 were playing well and kicks to them were not working so Alfie tried plan B and started to weave his magic. He could have beat 4 men in a phone box in the second half. On his first break he had the full back to beat with 2 Lymm players to his left but unfortunately the timing and decision was not quite right but the break gave Lymm the belief that they had some magic in their locker if they could keep Caldy at bay.

To the delight of the Lymm coaches Caldy elected to kick a penalty rather than go for the jugular with the clock ticking down. Lymm were pleased that the penalty was converted. They had the opportunity to raid the Caldy half and score the all important try in what must have been the final couple of minutes, 16-12.

The ball was secured and Alfie had the ball with centimetres of space. Alfie  weaved his magic and elected to punt through. He was taken out off the ball and the Caldy 15 knocked the ball on. Both were missed by the official. Lymm had to be patient. and win the resultant line out. 3 men were beaten once again by Alfie and the back 3 of Caldy were in his sights. This time Austin’s call was heard. Austin took the off load  and stormed under the posts, 16-19.

Surely time was up? 4 minutes says the referee, the sun was setting! Hadge was spreadeagled on the floor with cramp. Paddy was thrown on the pitch again with the hope that a scrum did not ensue whilst Hadge recovered. The kick off went straight in to the gap left by Hadge. Try scoring hero Austin sprinted 20 minutes and caught the ball by his ankles. Defensive scrum avoided. Lymm were pummelled but not in to submission. Paddy then won the last of several turn overs by Lymm but the first one awarded. Line out to Lymm thankfully the ball was in the crowd giving Hadge enough time to jog round, replace Paddy and throw in. Nerves were jangling. 44 seconds to go but the referee stopped his clock at every scrum and line out NFL style. Play continued for another several minutes. A ball was ripped from Caldy hands and Caldy were awarded a scrum! Lymm were bent but not broken. Discipline was the cry. A penalty would dent championship hopes although a draw may have been a fair result. Once again the ball was ripped from Caldy hands but no decision given. Alfie booted the ball to touch and the game was won.

Thank you to everyone who made the journey particularly the JC’s who made up the numbers for our 3 absentees playing for Sale Academy victory v  Northampton Saints. Cup fever next week at Birkenhead Park. I am sure we will receive another warm welcome from the opposition and supporters for a mouth watering tie.

Squad:

Oliver Brown, Harrison Aird, Taylor Hopkinson, Leo Bircham, Joe Senior, Alfie Simpson, Jack Wadsworth, Harry Ratcliffe, Carr Austin, Rhys Price, Ethan Yates, Archie McCauley, Adam Bushell, Kiran Soni, Joseph Heaton, Cameron Gray, Paddy Smith, Nonso Agina, Quin Peers.