Cormac Nolan reaches landmark

Last Saturday, Cormac Nolan made his 200^th appearance for Lymm in a Level 5 league fixture, so becoming the latest member of the “Lymm 200 Club”, joining Adam Bray (268), Oli Higginson (246), Tom Bray (229) and Jordan Widdrington (228) on this exclusive rollcall.

Cormac first started playing for Lymm aged 16 as a Junior Colt – initially as a fly-half – joining a squad that included current Sale Shark Ross Harrison and current Lymm First XV squad members Tom Shard and Kieran O’Callaghan.  As a Colt, Cormac enjoyed considerable success, participating in teams that regularly collected silverware including league titles; league cups; county cups; a run to the semi-final of the National U17 Cup; and, on two occasions, the Cock o’ the North Cup, which was awarded to the top Senior Colts team across the North of England.

With this pedigree it was inevitable that he would be given an early opportunity to show his talents in the First XV.  This came about on 27^th October 2012 when Cormac, aged 19, took a place on the wing for the home fixture against Harrogate.  It wasn’t to prove an auspicious start to his career as Lymm were well beaten, going down 29-3.  Cormac did, however, score Lymm’s only points that afternoon.

Since (and including) this fixture, Lymm have played 233 league fixtures in which Cormac has featured 200 times – an impressive appearance record exceeding 85%!

Following his debut, Cormac only had to wait until his 5^th match (v West Hartlepool (H)) to score his first try. There must have been something Cormac liked about this particular opposition as it was in the return fixture in April 2013 that he scored his first hattrick of tries, whilst amassing a total of 24 points towards Lymm’s 34-29 victory.

Over the next couple of seasons, Cormac moved from wing to his now accustomed position of full-back (it should be noted that as evidence of his versatility he has occasionally filled in at scrum-half too!) where his pace, ball-handling skills, awareness and experience are showcased.

Since first pulling on the shirt, Cormac has scored an incredible 1,877 points for Lymm – representing 31.5% of the 5,948 points that Lymm have registered over this period.  Overall, he has scored 68 tries (a club record at this level); made 380 successful conversions; and registered 259 penalty goals.

Cormac’s consistency over the 10 seasons since his debut can be clearly seen from the table below – here it should be noted that in 2015/16 Rich McEvoy had assumed the kicking duties; and in 2018/19 this role was shared by Cormac and Tom Shard.

Throughout his career at Lymm, Cormac has proven himself to be a true clubman.  His relocation a few years ago to Loughborough, where he is a lecturer at the University, had the potential to see him seek a more local and logistically convenient club to represent.  However, his commitment to the club and his fellow players never waivered and today he remains at the heart of our successful senior squad.

And, just to show that like a fine wine Cormac gets better with age, last season together with teammate Oli Higginson, Cormac was voted onto the League Team of the Season – a well-deserved accolade.

Congratulations Cormac on a truly outstanding achievement.