Moore 1st XV 25 – 27 Lymm Eagles

Eagles Victory Brings Moore Bragging Rights

On a warm April Saturday, Lymm Eagles completed a league double against fierce local rivals Moore 1XV.  This was a game high in effort and endeavour from both teams, with the result only confirmed with the last kick of the game, including a breathless final 10 minutes that provided plenty of drama as the Eagles wrestled victory from the jaws of defeat.

Much has been discussed about the current injury crisis that is hitting the senior teams at Lymm and during the lead up to this game. This problem showed no sign of abating and appeared to be getting even worse as the week went on. An audit of the stats from this season shows so far that the Eagles have had to call on over 50 players to get their fixtures played. Where those 50 players have gone is anyone’s guess, but Captain Olly Brown had to work hard all week to get a squad of 18 players out.

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the Lymm 2^nd team. After a bruising encounter against Caldy 2XV in the cup the previous week, the lack of enthusiasm to face the same opposition meant that Lymm 2XV could only muster 7 players, with 5 of last weeks team needed for the 1XV team.  It was decided on health and safety grounds that it would be wrong to get so many of the aging Eagles players to go and play against the same Caldy side containing semi-professional players playing championship level rugby, so the 2XV team game was conceded. Nevertheless, Olly kept faith with the team he had assembled for the Eagles, together with 18 year old senior colt George Reay for only his 2^nd senior appearance, with proud Dad and former Eagle, Alex, watching on from the sidelines. Fellow senior colt Finn Henderson joined his dad Martin Henderson in the squad and there was a welcome debut at scrum half for Chris Fuller, playing his first game of rugby by his estimate, in 25 years.

The Eagles arrived at Moore’s Moss Lane ground with a sense of trepidation. Away games away at Moore are always hotly contested, with the home supporters always quite vociferous in their dislike for anything to do with Lymm. Once again, many “Gentlemen of Moore” turned out to provide a running commentary accompanied by quite a few not so “Gentlewomen of Moore.”  The Eagles had arranged to arrive earlier than their normal 10 minutes before kick-off to allow for a proper warm up and to practice line outs and set pieces which had been noticeably absent from the last few games. By the time the Eagles arrived, Moore were already warming upon the pitch and were asking for additional subs to be allowed. It was clear that today was going to be a real contest. The game was going to played on the sun baked pitch immediately outside the clubhouse, with the ground more akin to concrete than the usual mix of grass and mud the Eagles usually prefer. The last time this scribe had been to a match at Moore had been 5 years ago for a night time game where Lymm had snatched a last minute winner  from under the noses of Moore, which really wiped the smile off the face of “the man in the skip” (inside joke – you had to have been there). Could history be about to repeat itself?

Moore kicked off up the slope and into the brisk cross-field wind. As the pitch sloped in several different directions, it was debatable as to whether any of them counted as an advantage. The big Moore forwards immediately set about smashing into the Lymm players. The Lymm forwards met this with equal ferocity and the first 10 minutes were a very even contest. Unfortunately, handling errors from both teams stopped any meaningful attacks. Lymm’s scrum, however, was functioning very well with the strength of Olly Brown, Dave Coon (unusually at hooker) and Nick Ashton earning them several penalties to help get them up the pitch. The new half back combinations of Chris Fuller and Martin Henderson were doing well with organising, bringing in the strike runners of Reece Forrest and Adam Halford. Eventually on 15 minutes, the ball was shipped along the line to centre Simon Beards, who’s a clever inside pass found a rampaging number 8 Max Ure who used his strength to power over for a try, converted by Beards (0-7).

This try seemed to renew Moore’s vigour who developed several opportunities to score but were kept out by good defence out wide from wingers Stu Norman and Josh McKean. Whilst the Lymm forwards seemed to have the upper hand, the Moore backs were looking very dangerous, with their 9 and 10 beginning to control things. This proved successful after 21 minutes, when a lineout just inside the Lymm 22 provided quick ball through the Moore 9 and 10 and out to their flying centre, who found a weak shoulder and trundled under the posts for a converted try (7-7).

Lymm continued to use their forwards to good advantage, with George Harrison and Olly Brown carrying like tanks, whilst flankers Joe Rogers and George Reay tackled anything that moved. The slightly off the cuff play from Fuller and Henders caused confusion for both teams but was creating plenty of gaps in the opposition defence. On 28 minutes, Moore thought they had done enough to bring down Max Ure, but Max showed his strength by dragging 3 Moore players with him over the line  score out wide for an unconverted try. Prop/Hooker Dave Coon claimed his hand on Max’s back had made all the difference going over the line but in the absence of video replay, the jury is still out. (7-12).

Moore tried to change their tactics to negate the strong Lymm forwards by kicking the ball deep into the Lymm 22. However, full back Liam “Sully” Sullivan was equal to all that came his way, and his speed got him out of trouble several times. A few disgruntled Moore supporters could be heard muttering “Stop f*cking kicking the ball to him.”  The rest of the half was played without score for Lymm to take a narrow lead into half time.

Half Time: Moore 7 – 12 Lymm Eagles

The half time message was simple. Keep doing what you are doing, work for each other in defence and stand up and be counted. The ferocity of the tackling, the unexpected heat and the hard ground had taken its toll on the team and changes were needed. Finn Henderson, Aldin Zillic, Jim France, and Ash Caffrey were brought on. Olly Brown, who looked like a human punchbag had to take an enforced breather and handed the captaincy reins over to fellow front rower Dave Coon.

Lymm kicked off the second half and Moore immediately stepped up the intensity and showed that they were distinctly unhappy at being behind at half time. Despite the fresh legs, Lymm were struggling to reorganise, and it only took 3 minutes for Moore to wipe out the half time deficit, when the ball from another good lineout was worked to the opposite side of the pitch allowing the Moore winger to crash over for an unconverted try (12-12).

The rearranged Lymm pack was proving less effective, and the scrum was starting to misfire. This allowed Moore to gain a foothold in the Lymm half for extended periods. On 51 minutes, more miscommunication at a Lymm maul saw the ball spilled and the Moore number 9 was quickest to react, collect the ball and sprint over for another converted try (19-12).

Lymm were now struggling, and they spent the next 5 minutes trying to return to the basics that had served them so well. Pressure relieving breaks from Ash Caffrey and Adam Halford helped move Lymm out their own half, but did not really look like scoring. On 63 minutes Moore were awarded a penalty just outside the Lymm 22 for the tackler not rolling away. Moore elected to kick for goal, which was met with cries of derision from the Lymm fan(s). The kick was successful bringing the score to a ten point deficit (22-12).

It was at this point that the Eagles maverick back Rick McEvoy turned up. Although originally not intending to play due to a previous injury and appearing with a pint in hand, kit was found, boots were laced, and he slotted in at fly half. His impact was immediate and on 71 minutes, his long break and clever pass released Simon Beards, who drove for the line and was hauled down millimetres short. Quick thinking from Martin Henderson saw him dive over the ruck for a remarkably acrobatic try. In his own words, Henders considered this to be his “Season Defining Moment” since as long as he can continue to score at least one try he will delay his  retirement from rugby for another season. Well done, Henders! Unfortunately, the conversion was missed (22-17).

It was unfortunate that this apparent comeback by Lymm was quickly stymied by another penalty just inside the Lymm half and Moore once again elected to kick for the posts. The kick was successful (25-17) giving Moore an 8 point lead with 7 minutes to go.

Lymm went into overdrive and immediately went hunting for a mistakes and errors on which to pounce. Moore seemed to be hoping that the 8 points would be enough tried to run down the clock, but a clever turnover by Jim “the Badger” France saw Lymm awarded a penalty on 76 minutes in front of the posts.  Everyone watching automatically assumed that Lymm would opt for a scrum, so it surprised everyone when the tee was called for. Macca successfully kicked the penalty (25-20). 3 minutes to go!

A great kick off, with a catch, take and rampaging run from Adam Halford drove Lymm back into the Moore half. Moore tried their best to stem the tide, but the ref was wise to any misdeeds and Lymm were awarded several sequential penalties plus a yellow card to a Moore forward, much to the disgust of the Moore faithful.  Patient build up and hard work from every Lymm player drove Lymm closer and closer, inch by inch towards the try line.  With 80 minutes passed, any mistake would have been fatal. However, this scribe need not have worried as Lymm found a clinical edge to their game that has been missing these last few weeks. Finally, the ball found Macca, who, in his usual casual, effortless style, beat 2 defenders to touch down just to the left of the sticks. However, the conversion was still needed for the win and nerves were frayed almost to breaking point. In last season’s away fixture against Moore, in an almost carbon copy of today’s game, Macca had missed a kick in the last minute to lose by a single point. This time he stepped up to the mark, took aim and attempted his kick to redemption. His cheeky chip sailed over the posts and the touch judges’ flags were unnecessary, as the roar from Stu Wraith on the patio behind the posts told us the conversion was successful. With that, the referee brought the game to a close.

Full Time: Moore 25 – 27 Lymm Eagles

An incredible end to an enthralling game. It was wonderful seeing the lads cheering, hugging and with well-deserved smiles on their faces, especially for their work in those last 7 minutes. Today’s game was a great result for the Eagles and was certainly one of the highlights of the season for this scribe, whose heart rate and blood pressure has still not quite returned to normal yet. The Moore players were magnanimous in defeat, and they played the match in the true spirit rugby and showed great sportsmanship. Their supporters, however, could not help themselves and a few were heard muttering “three cheers for Lymm 2s”. Perhaps they would rather see Moore 1XV play Caldy 2XV rather than Lymm 3XV! For whatever this scribe’s opinion is worth, the Moore players were excellent today and were perhaps unlucky with some calls and the bounce of the ball. Thank you for the kind hospitality and the beers after the game, Captain Mikey was a gracious host as always. For the Eagles, this game epitomised the effort put into this season by all the players, and they were all a credit to their club. Well done lads, very proud of you. It was great reading all the WhatsApp messages flying around during the evening, great team camaraderie (although not too sure about the topless changing room photograph!)

Several players put their hands up for man of the match today. Chris Fuller had a great debut for someone who had not played for so long. The colt’s duo of George and Finn were excellent (and I’m sure I can still hear Georges running commentary of the game ringing in my ears 24 hours later). Nick Ashton was a great ball carrier and offered a lot in the scrum. Reece Forrest at centre was a great pressure reliving outlet with his carries. Adam Halford was immense in the lineout and his all round game, and we literally could not have done without Rick McEvoy. However, in this scribe’s humble opinion, man of the match today is split between Max Ure for the forwards and Liam “Sully” Sullivan for the backs. Both had great games and were real performers when the chips were down. Well done lads. Olly Brown would have man of the match but possibly spent too long lying on the ground (should clarify this was for injury, not laziness…. I think).

Next week, Lymm have their penultimate game at home to Buxton. 3pm kick off (TBC) at Crouchley Lane. All very welcome.

Tries: Max Ure (14, 28), Martin Henderson (71), Richard McEvoy (80+)
Conversions: Simon Beards (14) Richard McEvoy (80)
Penalties: Richard McEvoy (76)

Team: 1) Olly Brown (C) 2) David Coon 3) Nick Ashton 4) Adam Halford 5) George Harrison 6) Joe Rogers 7) George Reay 8) Max Ure 9) Chris Fuller 10) Martin Henderson 11) Josh McKean 12) Simon Beards 13) Reece Forrest 14) Stu Norman 15) Liam Sullivan
Bench: 16) Aldin Zillic 17) Finn Henderson 18) Jim France 19) Ash Caffrey 20) Richard McEvoy

Match Report: Pete & David Coon