Lymm 47 – 31 Hornets

Lymm power play Haunts Hornets

Halloween brought a blue sky and light breeze to Lymm, and certainly no early frights for the home side. Lymm started brightly, dominating the kick-offs as they would all afternoon. Strong running and slick handling forced Hornets to concede an early penalty. A kick to the corner secured the line-out, and a precise kick-pass from Shard allowed Heaton to ghost over for the opening score after just two minutes, converted by Shard. No cobwebs from the rest-week to be seen here.

From the restart, Lymm continued their early dominance, with Manaton and Shard directing play and keeping the Hornets’ defence at full stretch. Heaton found a gap as the pressure mounted, accelerating into space before crisp handling allowed Hitchen to dive over for an unconverted try. 12-0 after 10 minutes.

Hornets had barely seen the ball, let alone troubled the Lymm defence, but after winning the restart, Lymm conceded their first penalty. Hornets kicked to the corner, and a driving maul from the line-out led to their first score of the afternoon. Having started so well, Lymm’s lead was suddenly trimmed to five points. 12-7 after 14 mins.

More than a point a minute was a fair indicator that the scoreboard operator was in for a busy afternoon. Another kick-pass from Shard almost put Heaton over for his second score following the restart. A Lymm driving maul was illegally pulled down to prevent a certain try, leaving the referee no option but to award a penalty try and a yellow card to the offending Hornets player. 19-7 on 20 mins.

Lymm kept the scoreboard ticking over with an immediate attack from the restart. Excellent handling put Mukerjee in space, standing up the Hornets left wing with a deft inside step allowing Hitchen to score his second try of the day. An excellent kick into the wind from the right touchline by Shard added the conversion. 26-7 after 22 mins, and a bonus point secured in the first quarter of the game.

It was déjà vu from the restart. This time, it took four minutes for Lymm to carve their way up the pitch. Forwards and backs worked in perfect synchronicity to find gaps and exploit space in the Hornets retreating defence, with Wadsall showing great skill to go over for a converted try. 32-7 with only 26 minutes on the clock—edging toward two points a minute.

Despite winning the restart, Lymm couldn’t repeat the drive upfield for a third time, and the contest started to settle into a midfield battle. Lymm’s defence held firm against strong Hornets pressure until the stroke of half-time, when the visitors won a line-out close to the Lymm line. The final action of an exhilarating half was a converted Hornets try. 33-14.

Half Time: Lymm 33 – 14 Hornets

It was a fantastic half of attacking rugby. Lymm’s ability to win restarts and alternate seamlessly between bruising forward drives and slick handling in the backs caused Hornets a multitude of problems. As soon as the visitors tried to shut down one avenue of attack, Lymm responded by creating new ones – a nightmare to defend.

The second half started brightly, with Lymm straight back on the attack. Hadland was next to score in his customary style, bursting through a non-existent gap in midfield and leaving defenders trailing in his wake for a touchdown under the posts. 40-14 after 48 mins.

Hornets were not finished by any means, and they scored next. For the first time all afternoon, Lymm’s tackling lacked its usual bite. 40-19 after 50 mins. Lymm had further chances, but the game grew looser and errors crept into the home team’s play. Still, Lymm were next on the board. Prop Matty Hand capitalized on a Hornets mistake as they ran the ball from deep in search of a bonus point 47-19.

Lymm seemed to lose their way over the next ten minutes, not helped by the officials ruling that the home side, despite dominating the set piece all afternoon, were suddenly guilty of collapsing three scrums in quick succession. The mounting penalty count and lost territory took their toll, allowing Hornets to breach the Lymm defence for an unconverted try. Shortly after the restart, a quickly taken penalty by Lymm on the Hornets try line saw a long pass to the wing intercepted, resulting in a full-length sprint for a converted Hornets try. 47-31 after 64 mins.

Lymm sensibly controlled the final 15 minutes to put the game to rest, and with no further frights, the referee blew for full-time.

Full Time: Lymm 47 – 31 Hornets

Apart from a strange ten-minute spell, Lymm played excellent, entertaining, and highly effective rugby. Hornets, while never in control, were always capable of scoring, a reminder that at this level, teams possess players and tactics that will always pose a threat.