Lymm 2nds 29 – 43 Preston Grasshoppers 2nds

Young Lymm Side Shine Early Before Preston Fightback

Storm Claudia having passed, Lymm welcomed Preston GH 2nd XV (PGH) to Crouchley Lane on an overcast afternoon, but conditions were otherwise good.

PGH dominated the opening 10 minutes, with Lymm barely getting their hands on the ball, but defending well against a strong and experienced PGH side. This early pressure paid off, with Lymm failing to clear from a scrum in their 22 and PGH scored a converted try.

The restart saw Lymm gain possesion and the backs showing that they could open the PGH defense. A searing break from Mukherjee put Phillips into space and make yards toward the try line, a covering tackle only delayed the inevitable score out wide, 5-7 after 10mins. Lymm retained possession from the restart and moved again into the opposition’s half. Having cleared their line, PGH then stole a Lymm lineout, and a missed tackle allowed them to score, this time without a conversion. 5-12 after 15 mins.

Lymm now had its best spell of the game. With three outstanding scores in 20 minutes from line breaks, excellent support play and one acrobatic finish from Nolan pulling Lymm well ahead on the scoreboard, to go in at half time 29-12 ahead.

Lymm had seemingly weathered the early PGH storm, were controlling the scrum, if not the lineouts, and had shown that they could score from distance with pace. Lymm  started the second half with the slight breeze at their backs.

Half Time: Lymm 29 – 12 Preston Grasshoppers

The second half started, and almost immediately, a lost Lymm lineout led to a PGH converted try, making it 29-19 with only two minutes of the half gone. A dropped ball in midfield from the restart by Lymm allowed a second PGH score before Lymm had any possession of the ball. Score at 50 minutes: 29-24.

Lymm’s hopes for a comfortable second half quickly vanished, as PGH took control of the game. They dominated play and used their powerful second row to draw in multiple Lymm tacklers, opening up space for supporting runners and the backs. Lymm grew frustrated with the referee and lost the sharpness they had shown in the first half. They failed to gain a foothold at all in the second half and spent little time in Preston’s half and almost no time in their 22m zone. A penalty and two further tries for Preston finished off an unhappy second half for Lymm.

None of the spectators would have predicted a 0-31 turnaround following the outstanding end to the first half.

Full Time: Lymm 29 – 43 Preston Grasshoppers

From a 17-point halftime lead, Lymm’s second-half reversal was as much about their own errors as Preston’s resurgence. Lost lineouts, handling mistakes, and ill-discipline shifted momentum. Preston’s tactical use of their forwards and ability to exploit isolated attackers proved decisive. For Lymm, this was a game they could – and should have won. The first half performance showed attacking flair and control, but the second half highlighted areas where the squad will undoubtably focus their attention to make improvements: Composure under pressure; set piece reliability and discipline.

MoM was awarded to Joe Higgins. Coach Toby Phillips commented. “A great 80-minute shift from Joe, leading the pack in defense and attack and strong set pieces, winning 3 scrums against the head.”

Lymm Squad: 1. Joe Higgins, 2. Logan Byrne, 3. Quinn Peers, 4. James Yates, 5. Ben Polec, 5. Thornton, 6. Corkish, 7. Rory Riddell, 8. Callender, Toby Phillips, 10. Cormac Nolan, 11. Ben Yolden-Cole, 12. H. Reay, 13. Andy Williams,14. Joe Reynolds, 15. Joe Murkerjee,16. Louis Hind, 17. D. Senior, 18. R Brown, 19. S Kakaie, 20. Will. Higgins

Match Report: Paul Nolan

Man of the Match