Lymm 50 – 24 Hull

Green Machine Roars Back into Gear

Lymm’s season got back on track with a decisive 26-point victory against Hull at Beechwood.

Having won the reverse fixture in October but on the back of a three-loss run, Lymm’s forwards and backs combined well to return to winning ways.

With Tom Shard injured, Alfie Simpson filled the number 10 role with a confident display in attack and defence. Andy Rowley returned to the team at 15 and had a productive afternoon from the tee, with success from 7 out of 8 kicks. Paddy Jennings returned to the wing for a memorable afternoon of try scoring, and there was a debut for George Atherton off the bench.

A blue sky and gentle breeze greeted the teams onto the pitch, with Lymm playing toward the clubhouse and receiving kick-off.  Lymm started well, and after early kicking for territory gain by both teams, Lymm managed to move the ball wide right, and an inside pass found the returning Oli Higginson, who burst through two defenders to score. 5-0 after 5 mins, with the conversion unsuccessful. However, Higginson injured his knee in scoring, and Atherton entered the fray in the back row.

The first 10 minutes saw sustained Lymm pressure, with just the final pass lacking, and only a penalty, converted by Rowley to show for their dominance.

From the restart, Lymm was adjudged to have made contact in the air with a Hull player as he collected the kick. From the following line-out, strong running in midfield resulted in a score under the posts for the Hull wing. 8-7.

Lymm continued to dominate territory, but Hull’s last-ditch defence was proving to be effective until an outrageous dummy from prop Ben Thompson opened a space in the defence for him to sprint through and score under the posts. The kick added two points, 15-7 after 22 mins.

But having lost Higginson, Lymm now lost skipper Yates to injury, replaced by James Pitcher and requiring a rejig of the front five.

Hull then won a line out 10m from the Lymm line, and a momentary loss of concentration from Lymm allowed a slick move at the front of the line from Hull for prop Bairstow to score in the corner.

An excellent conversion brought the score to 15-14, but Lymm were now down to fourteen, as Josh Hadland had been shown a yellow card for his attempt to prevent the try.  Lymm managed the next 10 minutes well – creating two opportunities to score and retaining possession for much of the period that they were down to 14. Strong tackling, aggressive rucking, and some good midfield breaks by Simpson were testing Hull’s defence, with one of these breaks, supported by Jennings, allowing Cal Morris to score under the posts. Try converted, and the half was over.

Half Time: Lymm 24 – 14 Hull

Lymm had dominated the half but had not stretched away. Hull had shown how dangerous they could be in attack and were defending aggressively.

The second half started shakily for Lymm, losing both a lineout and then a scrum for the first time all afternoon. A penalty awarded to Hull soon after was kicked successfully, bringing the score to 24-17.

Following the restart, good possession from the Lymm saw Hadland break Hull tackles to score the bonus point try, kick converted. 29-17 on 50 minutes.

Almost immediately from the restart, Sam Wadsworth broke through the Hull centres and ran seventy metres.  Although hauled down just five metres from the line. Jennings was in support to gather the ball and score under the posts. 36-17.

Lymm’s golden 10 minutes of scoring was rounded off with another exceptional run, this time from Jack Stride, intercepting a pass and bursting through tackles, before linking with Jennings to score under the posts. 43-17.

It was almost a repeat performance from the restart, with Wadsworth picking up a loose ball and sprinting for the Hull line, only for the ref to call back play for an apparent knock-on.

Hull was next to score on the wing following a scrum, with an excellent touchline conversion bringing the score to 43-24, and Hull continuing to pose a threat with their strong running.

However, Lymm dominated the final 10 minutes of the game, and Rhys Lilly was rewarded for yet another excellent performance with a try after breaking through the Hull tacklers from 10m out. Rowley again converted, to take his tally to fifteen points for the day on his return to the lineup.

Final Time:  Lymm 50 – 24 Hull

After a tough first 40 minutes, Lymm dominated the second half against a physical Hull side. The front five tackled and carried well all day and, for most of the game, dominated set plays. Thompson’s dummy and sprint to score under the posts will surely be the talking point.

Atherton played well in the back row after the early loss of Higginson. His hard work and strong defence were only exceeded by the unrelenting energy and commitment in defence and attack of Lilly and Hadland – not a bad pairing for Atherton to see close-up at work on his Lymm debut.

The much-changed back line roared into action in the second half. Strong running from centres Wadsworth and Stride and Jenning’s power was rewarded with two tries at a critical time in the game. Behind the pack, Morris controlled play and kicked well for territory, whilst Simpson made several arcing runs through the Hull defence to set up opportunities to score.

Lymm supporters will have headed for the clubhouse pleased to see the team’s hard work rewarded in returning to their pre–Christmas form.

After the match Director of Rugby, Adam Fletcher, commented:

“It was nice to get the 5 points.  I thought the lads showed great character and managed to solve problems put in front of them.  Losing Higgo after 5 minutes and Yatesy after 25 minutes put a lot of pressure on the set piece, but Rhys and the rest of the pack coped well.”

“After playing his first game at fly half for the season Alfie Simpson was outstanding, and George Atherton had a great debut.  Bring on next week!”

Team: Ben Thompson (46); Rob Makin* (84); Joe Higgins (22); James Yates* (c) (130); Ethan Kermode (13); Rhys Lilly* (69); Josh Hadland* (55); Oli Higginson* (280); Cal Morris (58); Alfie Simpson* (36); Joe Senior* (31); Sam Wadsworth* (33); Jack Stride (26); Paddy Jennings* (71); Andy Rowley* (76).
Bench: Gav Woods (134); James Pitcher* (87); George Atherton* (1); Tom Manaton (17); Harry Reay* (4).

Referee: David Charlton

Match Report:  Paul Nolan