Lymm 52 – 36 Syston

Lymm Triumph in Rollercoaster Clash Against Syston

From early dominance to a second half comeback, Lymm seal a 52–36 victory

Showing just one change to the starting line-up from last week’s game at Hinkley, with Alfie Simpson replacing Tom Shard at 10, Lymm welcomed Syston back to an overcast Crouchley Lane after several years of competing in different levels and regions of the RFU league structure.

Defending the clubhouse end, playing into a strong breeze, Lymm got off to a bright start. Lymm’s defence held Syston’s initial pressure up. Winning back the ball, Lymm were awarded two penalties in quick succession.

A kick to the Halfway House gave Lymm the chance to take the lead following a clean line out and driving maul, with Rob Makin opening the score after five minutes with an unconverted try in the corner.

Lymm claimed the ball from the restart, and interplay between backs and forwards scattered the Syston line. Once the ball reached Nathan Beesley in space on the right wing, he showed his trademark acceleration, and he glided over the line for an unconverted try, making it 10-0 after ten minutes.

Winning the ball from the restart, good ball handling and strong driving through tackles allowed Lymm to make progress up field, creating gaps as play entered Syston’s 22m. A final drive from Hadland to burst through the last line of defence, followed by a slick offload, allowed Paddy Jennings to score under the posts. Jack Reynolds converted the try to make it 17-0 after fifteen minutes.

Perhaps at that point, the Lymm supporters might have thought that a bonus point by 25 minutes and a comfortable lead by half-time was ahead of them.

Syston had other ideas though. Having not had the ball, nor having been in the Lymm 22m for the first fifteen minutes, Syston now had all the possession and, strangely, the momentum. A gap in the usually secure Lymm defence allowed Syston to score a converted try, 17-7.

Having failed to win the restart, Lymm were forced back into their half with a raking kick from the Syston full back, who played well all afternoon, leading to a line out and driving maul and a converted try 17-14, with twenty-five mins gone. It was a different game now.

Five minutes later, another kick to the corner was followed by Syston winning the lineout and another try, unconverted. 17-19 and Syston had edged ahead, after a complete reversal of the first fifteen minutes of the game. Surely time to regain control.

But Syston were now on repeat. A knock on was judged to have been played by a Lymm player in front of the ball. Kick into Lymm 22m – line out won by Syston – drive – score. This time, the score was converted. 17 – 26 approaching half-time.

Lymm won the restart and then a penalty. An opportunity to get back into the Syston 22m and perhaps get back to scoring ways before the end of the half.  But the kick to touch went dead, and the referee blew for half-time.

What had happened?

Lymm were cruising after fifteen minutes of the game, with a bonus point in sight, but now were nine points down, and Syston were the ones with the bonus point, looking confident.

Half Time: Lymm 17 – 26 Syston

Lymm kicked off with the wind now at their back, but against a buoyant opposition that had scored twenty-six unanswered points. Lymm were initially pushed back into their own half.

A dropped Syston pass allowed Lymm to reclaim possession and move toward the Syston try line. A line breaking drive by Ben Lilley, scoring a converted try under the posts, brought the score back to 24-26, with just five minutes of the second half gone.

Lymm were now pressurising the Syston line in a similar way to the first fifteen minutes of the first half, and Syston were committing a string of offside offences. Finally, a well-coordinated lineout led to a driving maul over the line for Joe Higgins to score.

With Reynolds’ conversion, Lymm were now back in front 31-26. A Lymm knock on from the restart was symptomatic of the afternoon, with uncharacteristic mistakes disrupting Lymm’s fluidity.

A subsequent Syston penalty close to Lymm’s try line was converted to close the gap to 2 points.

Lymm were next to score from a Josh Hadland break that saw him carry two tacklers over the line and score a well-deserved try close to the posts. The conversion brought the score to 38 – 26, with fifteen mins remaining. This was quickly followed by Beesley’s second try of the day from a Syston error at the kick off and a clever sweeping run from the winger into space and over the try line for a converted score. 45-29.

Syston had not given up all afternoon, and they came back again, a missed tackle allowing Syston’s final try of the day, which was converted. 45 – 36. Too big a gap to close with seven minutes remaining?

And so, it turned out to be the case, Lymm had further chances, and Syston too had opportunities that might have made the last few minutes more tense.

In the last minute, with Syston now camped on their own line and looking to move the ball wide at any opportunity, there was always a danger that Lymm would pounce on any error. A dropped pass in midfield, scooped up by Reynolds, who sprinted in to score and then convert the try, was the last action of the day.

Final Score: Lymm 52 – 36 Syston

An unusual game, in 3 parts.17-0 up in fifteen minutes; concede 26 points in the next twenty-five minutes; “Win” the second half 35-10.

Syston battled all day and will no doubt be encouraged by their bonus point, but they will have hoped for more, having gone in at half-time in front.

But a win’s a win. Lymm will know that they can and do control games better than they did today. Lymm have no problem scoring points; Reynolds scored 17 points today from a try and six from eight conversions, and the team are third in the league on this measure.  Lymm supporters will be hoping that the team’s scoring form continues as they head to Old Redcliffians near Bristol next week.

Team: Ben Lilley (26); Rob Makin* (94); Joe Higgins* (31); James Yates* (141); Dylan Hodkinson (3); Ben Thompson (57); Max Ure* (3); Josh Hadland* (64); Tom Manaton (30); Alfie Simpson* (44); Paddy Jennings* (84); Sam Wadsworth* (46); Nathan Beasley* (96); Jack Reynolds (39).

Bench: James Pitcher* (96); Jack Lightbown (3); Sam Wicks (6); Sean Callander (20); Joe Heaton* (2).

( ) = number of Lymm First XV League appearances

* Former Lymm Academy/M&J player

Referee: Daniel Woods

Man Of The Match: