Rossendale 25
Lymm 26

Lymm travelled to Rossendale with a much changed side from the last weeks Cup win at Preston. Veterans Oli Brown and Dave Coon came up from the thirds to step into the front row with Alfie Simpson and Joe Senior coming in from from the Colts.

Conditions were near perfect with the pitch surface but as it’s Rossendale there was a slope! You could see the difference in weather conditions up here from Lymm, as the daffodils are not even in bud yet! Lymm kicked off playing up the hill benefitting from a number of turnovers to press Rossendale but without looking like scoring. Rossendale when they obtained possession were dangerous, using their powerful runners to penetrate the Lymm defence, which was poor especially dealing with kick chases.

Rossendale took the lead from a penalty but Lymm soon responded with a Josh Davies penalty after being held up on the Rossendale line. However poor tackling and strong Rossendale running resulted in two unconverted tries in two minutes. Lymm now were dropping off tackles and were fortunate not to concede more before half time.

Ht 15-19

At half time Lymm emphasised playing the game in the opposition’s half and improving the intensity. Josh Davies kicked two penalties but poor tackling let Rossendale in for two more tries, one converted, leaving it 25-9 with 20 minutes to go.

Lymm were looking down at a heavy defeat but gradually they started to gain in confidence, increasing the pace of the game. Alfie Simpson started moving the ball around and with Joe Senior showing his pace, were making inroads. However it was from close range the Jack Porteous used his power from short range to crash over for a try that Josh Davies converted, 25-16. Lymm stormed back down the hill, now dominating possession and with Rossendale making mistakes looked dangerous. It was no surprise when Rossendale were down to 14 men that Lymm won a scrum and Alfie Simpson instigated a passing move which ended with Luke Richards going through a gap to hand off a defender to score in the corner. Josh Davies converted excellently from the touchline.

5 minutes to go 25-23 and the momentum was with Lymm. They moved the ball across the field and back again ending with Joe Senior being bundled into touch at the corner, but the referee had seen an offside in midfield and they accurate boot of Josh Davies did the rest, 25-26. 2 minutes to go and Tom Baker used his experience to turn the clock down for Lymm to complete the win.

Ft 25-26

This was a game where for large parts, Rossendale were the more dangerous side with their strong runners and if the Rossendale kicker had had his kicking boots with him, Lymm would surely have lost. However you had to admire the effort from everyone in the last 25 minutes as they turned the game around.

The front row kept Lymm in the game by providing good possession when Lymm were under the cosh. Oli Thornton and James Lewis tackled everything that moved and became more influential as the game went on. In the backs Joe Senior and Luke Richards were always dangerous and ultimately the kicking record of Josh Davies won the game.

Teamsheet