Vale of Lune 25
Lymm 23

The Cotton Traders Premiership League has now split into the Conference A & B Leagues. Lymm are one of 6 teams who play each other home and away in this 2^nd half of the season. In this first match, unfortunately they had to travel with a bare 15, which included coach Peter Millachip making up the numbers on the wing.

Lymm started well and turned early pressure into 3 points through the boot of Josh Davies. However indiscipline from both teams resulted in penalties being exchanged giving Lymm a 6-3 lead. However the hosts were soon in front as Lymm struggled to clear there line and a charged down kick gave Vale an easy score. This was followed not long after by another Vale score as a lucky bounce of a hurried kick, bounced away from the Lymm fullback and into the hands of the Vale winger, 15 – 6.

While vale only converted one of those tries, another penalty gave them a comfortable lead. Towards the end of the half they extended their lead with a penalty, 18 – 6. However, with their young halfbacks regularly pinning Vale back onto their line with some great kicking, Lymm started to put some phases together. A couple of half breaks and an interesting referee decision from a knock down gave Lymm a five metre scrum. John long showed great strength and determination to get over the line with three men draped over him for an unconverted try.

HT 18 – 11

From the restart, Lymm were again slow out the blocks with another charge down gifting vale another easy score and conversion. 25-11. Lymm were struggling to get onto the front foot, with Vale’s defence smothering the attacking flair of Lymm. Until a line break out of nowhere from Rory Ridell suddenly gave Lymm momentum. He found Reece Forrest in support, who was tackled just short. Lymm tried to get quick ball from the ruck but with a multitude of Vale players lying on the ball and not rolling away the attack was thwarted. The referee went into his pocket and sent the Vale 9 to the bin.

Following this, Lymm really tried to ramp up the pressure but for the next 8 minutes, every time it looked like it would amount to something, Lymm would give away a penalty and let Vale off the hook. However, Lymm were very much in the game and with only a few minutes left of the sin bin for the Vale 9, the referee sent another Vale player to the bin. Lymm made use of the 2 man advantage by turning a five metre scrum into 5 points. The Lymm pack got a shunt on and drove Vale over their own line, unfortunately josh missed the conversion, 25 – 16.

From the restart, Lymm showed real attacking flair with the ball moving through various hands before finding Captain, Dan Horton. Holding of a strong tackle he offloaded delicately to Toby Phillips, who went 60 metres, before stepping the full back and going over between the posts. His quick drop kick conversion was successful and gave Lymm a real chance to win the match, 25 – 23. However it was not to be. Vale got the ball and managed to keep it for the five minutes left before hoofing it off to end the game.

FT 25 – 23

Lymm 2’s have a talented squad of players, mostly in their late teens early twenties, bolstered by a core of older experienced players. There is a hard core of players who will not let the side and the club down, but more commitment from all players is needed, to make themselves available and not let their playing colleagues and the club down. Next week Lymm 2’s are at home to Rossendale 2’s KO 2.15pm

Team:

1) John Grant, 2) Dan Horton, 3) David Coon, 4) Will Baldwin, 5) Jorge Reynolds, 6) Soni, 7) Rory Riddell, 8) John long, 9) George Anderson, 10) Toby Phillips, 11) Reece Forrest, 12) James Lewis, 13) Josh Davies, 14) Peter Millachip, 15) Josh Hamer.