5-7 March TOUR OF DUMFRIES & GALLOWAY

DUMFRIES SAINTS 17 V LYMM 40

Lymm began their Scottish Tour with a fine victory over a highly respected Dumfries squad. The home side featured a very strong pack and some excellent runners in the backs and it was this mix that lead to them opening the scoring with a 50 metre break through the middle of the slow starting Lymm defence. That score, added to a number of full blooded tackles, woke Lymm up and they quickly asserted their dominance.

Matty Pownall, having yet another excellent match, opened the visitors’ account supporting a fine break from Jack Worton. Next up was Luke Jackson whose excellent running line saw him complete a consummate team build up, taking a pass inside from Sam Ward.

Lymm's pack were consistently ensuring good ball for the backs, eradicating the losses of possession in contact that blighted the team earlier this year. This allowed the team good multi-phase play and ensured the backs were always going forward.

Cam McMaster made amends for the team somehow turning down a 3 on 1 opportunity to set Ward up soon after.

Jake Lester continues to improve at centre and he too was a beneficiary of the pack 's efforts at the scrum.

At the interval Lymm lead 26 to 5, with Jack Worton’s excellent kicking converting 3 of the 4 scores.

In the second half Dumfries rallied and started to threaten the Lymm 22 metre line with some clever moves in the backs and strong running from their forwards.

However Lymm scored again with McMaster kicking through and then pressuring the full back into a mistake which Callum Mckenzie capitalised on to score.

Cam was to finish Lymm's scoring for the day before two late but well deserved tries for the home side.

An enjoyable and good spirited match played in outstanding conditions. May we offer our thanks to Dumfries for entertaining us so warmly.

ANNAN 10'S TOURNAMENT

The second leg of our tour saw us enter two teams in a very well organised 10s' tournament featuring teams from the Dumfries area and as far away as Ayr.

2 points were awarded for a try and one for a conversion. We split our squad into 2 equal sides, named the Elymminators and the Lymmitations and went unbeaten throughout the six games played. The highlights were probably the rather feisty first game against Carrick, and the second match against the same team which was rather more notable for the quality of rugby played.

Each team lost a player to injury during their second match and did very well to play their final matches with only 9 men each.

Annan were fine hosts and delivered a tournament to be proud of.

Results:

Lymmitations v Newton Stewart 14 v 3

' v Annan 28 v 0

' v Carrick 20 v 0

Elymminators v Newton Stewart 16 v 2

' v Carrick 8 v 2

' v Langholm 11 v 2

28^th February - Warrington 0 Lymm 38

A switch to Lymm’s Appleton Thorn pitches allowed the game to go ahead to the relief of both camps after the dearth of rugby recently.

The pattern of the game was established early with Lymm’s size and power up front dominating the forward exchanges but a combination of excellent Warrington defence, a series of Lymm handling errors and poor decision making thwarting Lymm’s attempts to score and offering Warrington some opportunities of their own.

Finally, Lymm recorded their first try when Tim Young broke through some, for once, lacklustre tacking to reach the line. A second try followed when Lymm at last converted an overlap to put Sam Heward over in the corner. With neither try converted the half time score of 0-10 left all to play for.

With unprecedented numbers of players available, Lymm made 7 changes at half time, 6 in the pack, but this had no noticeable affect on the pattern of the game with Lymm continuing to dominate but unable to convert that domination into points. The game was however put beyond Warrington’s reach when Sam Ward recovered his own chip ahead to score under the posts leaving Jack Worton an easy conversion.

To their credit, Warrington maintained their efforts almost to the end but finally ran out of steam to concede 3 tries in the last 5 minutes, 2 to Greg Robertson and one to Callum MacKenzie all converted by “guest” kicker Ben Sherlock.

It was great to see both Callum and Zak Preston back in action after long injury lay offs and a pleasure to record the spirit in which a game between local rivals was played, no doubt in part due to an excellent refereeing performance. Good luck to Warrington in their Lancashire Plate Quarter Final next week.

7^th February CHESHIRE CUP QUARTER FINAL

CHESTER 7 V LYMM 45

Lymm rose to the challenge posed them by a talented Chester side through a combination of skill and team work.

Chester started the brighter, spending the opening minutes within yards of the Lymm try line. When Lymm did manage to break out of their own 22 it was to some effect as the ensuing pressure resulted in a score for Jake Lester, the result of some excellent work in the ruck by Matty Pownall.

The visitors then began to get more of the game but were having to be constantly vigilant to attacks from Chester's talented backs line. Just before half time Lymm lost the ball 10 metres from the Chester line and the home side capitalised on the opportunity to race down the wing and score a deserved equaliser.

The second half saw Lymm play with more control and commitment to their task. Each member of the team played the part their position demanded. Whilst Lymm’s midfield was interrupting the distribution to Chester’s wings, the back 3 were snuffing out any breaks that did come their way. George Boaden showed a high level of leadership and control at 9.

The pack started to gain the upper hand at the scrum and were excellent at the line-out. Across the board there was a greater presence at the breakdown. the results of these efforts came quickly. Cam McMaster finished off a typical Lymm sweeping move, before a rejuvenated Tim Young galloped in from the back of a ruck. Chester continued to threaten but were kept at bay by fine Lymm tackling before Luke Jackson benefited from the work done by the pack to spin inside for a try from a maul.

Matty Pownall was the beneficiary of his tireless efforts all match to steal a ball from a maul and then join the ensuing drive over the Chester line to score the try. An interception for Rick Halford and another run off a line out from Tim Young completed the scoring. Jack Worton converted 5 of the 7 tries with a polished display of kicking.

A fine match all round, largely due to the consistent effort of the opposition who continued to seek scoring opportunities right to the final whistle.

Our thanks to the very able young referee who officiated the match, and of course to Chester for their warm hospitality.

SCORERS: Young 2, Halford, Jackson, Lester, Pownall, McMaster. Worton 5 convs

TACKLER: Fernyhough 8, Lester 6.

24th January - LYMM 12 V PRESTON GRASSHOPPERS 10

This first meeting between the teams was also each team’s first match for over a month. Rustiness showed in aspects of each team’s attacking play, but the commitment in both sides defence was exemplary.

In the first half neither side could break through with any impact for a significant time. However when Lymm found their offloading game they threatened on a couple of occasions. Strong breaks by Greg Robertson provided a threat, and Nathan Strong also looked clear on one occasion. Nick Roberts stood in at the last minute at scrum-half and coped admirably.

Preston sought to pressure Lymm by a series of kicks but full-back Luke Jackson was on scintillating form and repeatedly ran the ball back into Preston territory.

The visitors dominated the line-outs and used their pack well.

At the interval the score stood at nil v nil, a testament to the tackling of both sides.

Lymm swapped all but two of their pack at half-time, which seemed to have more impact in the scrum.

The first score came from Lymm gaining possession and setting Tim Young free to gallop 60 metres for a fine try.

A similar scenario saw Jake Lester tear through the Preston defence and set up an easy finish to reward Ben Sherlock's support play. Rick Halford converted.

Lymm looked at this point to have the game under control with Preston's backs being repeatedly thwarted by the Lymm defence. However, with about 5 minutes left Lymm either tired or went to sleep, as Preston scored twice out of three near identical forays by their forwards.

With no-time left on the clock the Lancashire side were unlucky to see a conversion bounce of the post and Lymm take the honours.

A well contested return to competitive action for both sides.

Our thanks to Mr Proctor for stepping in to ref.

SCORERS: Young, Sherlock, Halford ( conv)

TOP TACKLER: Fernyhough 10, Robertson 8.

13^th December Heaton Moor 14 Lymm 17

Lymm travelled for a first ever fixture against Heaton Moor to find excellent facilities, playing conditions and hospitality. Without a number of usual starters and with an unfamiliar look to Lymm's line-up, any thoughts of an easy ride were quickly dispelled as Moor dominated the early forward exchanges and territory, pushing Lymm back to their own line on several occasions and being held up over the line on at least one occasion. Gradually Lymm got more into the game, began to secure more possession and started to look dangerous with ball in hand. Jamie Plumb crashed over for the first score from ruck ball close to the Moor line. A fine sequence of attacking phases left Tim Young in the clear to run in a second try in the corner and a third try came when Jake Lester hit a fine line from full back to burst through the defence and score under the post. Jack Worton’s conversion made the score 17-0 at half time.

The second half began as the first with Moor on top up front. This time however, their dominance continued throughout the half with Lymm incapable of winning or retaining sufficient clean possession to create many meaningful attacking opportunities and giving increasing numbers of penalties away in their attempts to retain or regain the ball. For their part Moor sensibly “kept it tight” where possible and pounded away at a resolute Lymm defence which held firm for most of the half. Finally the Moor pack forced its way through for a well deserved converted try close to the posts. Lymm’s attempts to get back into the game by attacking from deep backfired when a mix up in midfield move saw the loose ball fall to the Moor centre who outpaced the cover defence to score under the post. Lymm managed to survive a nervous last few minutes to come away with the victory but the plaudits must go to our hosts who, also missing players and featuring some U15s in their line up, ran us so close.

6th December LYMM 6 V MANCHESTER 42

Lymm will look at this match and wonder how they went from just 1 point down at half time, to lose so heavily.

Manchester started very brightly and but for a Luke Jackson tackle, Lymm would have fallen behind early on. Indeed they didn't have to wait long before taking the lead through as strong run from the back of a ruck. Lymm had been unusually poor in the quality of their tackling with far too many casual attempts being made.

Gradually Lymm adjusted to the competition and began to cause threats of their own. As their confidence grew so did the penalty count in their favour with Jack Worton twice scoring from in front of the posts as the result of the visitors’ attempts to stop Lymm attacks. The home side began to find their tackling accuracy too and at the interval (6 v 7) it seemed that we would be looking at a fierce second half.

For whatever reason that was not to be. Manchester adjusted the better to the yellow carding of a player from each side and scored twice in this period but Lymm seemed strangely subdued and lacked intensity from the very start of the half.

Mention must be made of Matty Pownall whose efforts all around the park were a contributing factor to Lymm's first half performance.

SCORER: Worton - 2 penalties TOP TACKLER: Fernyhough 10

29^th November TYLDESLEY 7 V LYMM 24

Despite the atrocious conditions both teams delivered an interesting and at times adventurous game of rugby.

The home side started very brightly, using their large pack to dominate the early exchanges. However once Lymm's forwards had adjusted to their opponents’ strength the contest equalled out.

Lymm's first try came off a fine kick return from Luke Jackson, which was ably supported at the ensuing ruck by the pack, before the ball was flung in weather defying style across the backs to Sam Ward who scored on the wing. Sam had been denied an earlier try by not having been seen to have grounded the ball but he left no room for doubt this time.

Soon afterwards Nathan Strong was held up inches short of the line after another fine ruck.

Jack Worton was the next to cross the line again the beneficiary of strong work at the ruck by the forwards.

Lymm were beginning to threaten repeatedly with a number of players who don't regularly start making their presence known. Among these was James Leach who rucked and tackled aggressively and was guaranteed to be the first to any loose ball. James was rewarded for his exemplary commitment with a well taken try from the back of a maul.

Lymm went in 19 points ahead at the half.

As time passed and the surface became more glue like both teams started to lose cohesion. Injuries to Rick Halford and Matty Pownall further weakened the Lymm pack and Tyldesley created a couple of good chances. However it was Luke Jackson who again gave Lymm momentum seizing an interception to race into the home side’s territory. Ably supported by the increasingly influential Jake Lester, Jackson was at the start of most of Lymm's attacks. This was to be the case for the next try. Jackson and Lester put the home side under pressure. Lymm won a scrum 10 metres from the Tyldesley try line, and the miss pass from Fernyhough found Jamie Plumb who finished strongly in the corner.

The Tyldesley lads were rewarded for their consistent effort with a score under the posts and could have added another couple were it not for Lymm repeatedly stealing possession at key moments.

Our thanks to Tyldesley (and the work of their groundsmen) and the fine referee for an excellent match played in the worst of weather but the best of spirits.

SCORERS: Ward, Worton (+ 2 convs), Leach, Plumb TOP TACKLER: Robertson, Pownall 4.

22^nd November LYMM 7 - MOLD 7

Mold were kind enough to fill both a fixture and refereeing vacancy at short notice and to accommodate a late kick off to guarantee pitch availability. Having successfully negotiated the drive to Appleton Thorn and avoided what appeared to be some form of pensioners’ Tour de France en route we all finally assembled on a surprisingly firm pitch in blustery conditions.

Having been well beaten by a strong Mold team last season, Lymm were expecting a stern test and were not disappointed. Mold immediately demonstrated their forward power and showed great confidence in moving the ball wide early on only to be met there by the usual resolute Lymm defence and make little progress in that area. Mold established and maintained throughout the game a dominance of the set piece including a particularly effective rolling maul from lineout but open play was much more evenly contested. Lymm did not help themselves by an inability to accept and adjust to law interpretations with which they were not familiar.

The first half, with Lymm having the wind advantage, saw only one score when a half break and offload by fly half Jack Worton saw no. 8 Rick Halford burst clear from half way and outpace the cover defence to score under the posts and give Jack a routine conversion. As might be expected with the following wind, Lymm did spend a good deal of time in the Mold half but were met with strong tackling and an excellent drift and scramble defence and could not capitalise on some good positions.

The second half unsurprisingly saw Mold dominating possession and territory but Lymm continuing their strong defence throughout the team and looking dangerous on the break and counter-attack. Again the half saw only one score when a Lymm scrum was disrupted to such an extent that not only was the ball lost but the back row was rendered unable to deal with a dart down the blind side for a simple try which was converted to bring the scores level.

It is sad when the natural rivalry between English and Welsh teams descends into something less attractive and particularly sad when, as here , that takes the edge off an excellent competitive game of rugby between 2 strong sides.

We must however put that behind us and concentrate on the positives – a very committed defensive performance to follow last week’s attacking extravaganza. At the same time we must complement our opponents on the strength of their set piece and their similarly resolute defence and thank them again for their assistance in putting the match on at such short notice.

15^th November SANDBACH 12 V LYMM 44

Though both sides were missing players (which match reports in the region don't start with these words this season?) both sides have squads of sufficient quality to put on an excellent match.

The home side kindly lent the visitors (who have 4 injured props at the moment) a prop in each half, allowing scrums to be contested.

Befitting the excellent conditions and surface both sides played attacking rugby from the off, with Sandbach having a lot of the early possession.

After conceding some early penalties Lymm began to grow in confidence led largely by the combative efforts at the breakdown of Cam McMaster. Playing the tighter game asked for by the coaches, Cam excelled, more than ably backed up by the rest of the undersized pack. Ish Hussein, Will Taylor and Matty Pownall were committed to every breakdown, Joe Pennington and Sam Ward made tackle after tackle and Greg Robertson was a threat off each ruck. Indeed Greg opened the scoring with a fine diving finish off a penalty 5 metres out.

The visitors' re-organised backs line then began to play some dazzling rugby. Orchestrated by centre Nat Fernyhough they ran in three tries in quick succession. The first was an incisive move that set Jamie Plumb free on the wing to finish with aplomb (sorry!). Jamie was involved in the next try as his fine overlap with Sam Ward saw the latter score his first try since returning from injury. The third try was another for Plumb benefiting from a strong run and off load from Fernyhough.

Sandbach responded with a period of sustained pressure, with Luke Jackson making important tackles at full back before they scored a good forwards’ try just ahead of the interval.

The second half saw Lymm's centre partnership capitalise on the good ball won by the forwards and the excellent distribution of half backs Boaden and Worton, to run rampant. Nick Roberts was unlucky to have a try disallowed for a marginally forward pass in the build up, before alert play by James Leach secured the ball allowing it to find Sam Heward who intelligently cut in off his wing to score. Jack Worton converted.

A very well worked Sandbach try and conversion kept them well in the game, but Jake Lester's kick and chase resulted in another 5 metre penalty. The ball was quickly spun across the line for Mcmaster to get a deserved score in the corner.

Next followed two explosive individual efforts by Fernyhough and another Worton conversion, to give Lymm a pleasing victory against a Sandbach team who were much better than this scoreline suggests.

Lymm can take a number of positives from this performance, not least how effective they are when playing well structured rugby.

The comments of one of Lymm's finest later in the day complement what was a great match to watch: "The sun shone, a fine pint of Fuller's London Pride and sausage and bacon & butty after the game, friendly hosts - it doesn't get much better!!"

SCORERS: Plumb 2, Fernyhough 2, Robertson, Ward, Heward, McMaster, Worton ( 2 convs)

TOP TACKLERS: Pennington, McMaster 8

8^th November - Cheshire Cup Prelim Round

WIRRAL 0 V LYMM 24

For the second week running Lymm undid one of last seasons Cup semi-finalists in the last 10 minutes of the match, having produced a hotchpotch of rugby until that point.

In a tense and tetchy affair Lymm's domination of the set piece coloured most of the match. Richard Halford was exceptional in the linout and with both first choice props missing through injury Lymm’s performance at the scrum was impressive.

On a difficult day for handling most attacks petered out with knock-ons or forward passes. The tight forward play we had anticipated might overcome this also faltered with combinations of props and locks spread out among the backs leaving those forwards who were playing tight to be undone at the ruck through lack of support.

Lymm opened the scoring from a blistering attack by the Sherlock, Robertson, Fernyhough combination that showed how effective Lymm can be when the pack drive forwards. Greg Robertsons direct break put Ben Sherlock though for an equally punishing run before deftly passing to Nat Fernyhough who finished strongly.

Wirral were unlucky not to have an immediate reply allowed when a kick to the corner was adjudged to have been gathered by an off-side player.

After this the game disintegrated into a series of errors possibly influenced by the tense atmosphere.

The score remained 0 v 5 well into the second half when a fine break by Jack Worton seemed to inspire Lymm. Joe Pennington was unlucky to have a try disallowed after chasing a kick through. This would have been just desserts for his tireless efforts.

Lymm capitalised on their set piece control to finally put some light between the teams when a penalty set up a line -out on the Wirral 5 metre line. The take from Halford allowed scrum half George Boaden to worm his way over the line to give Lymm a 10 nil lead.

The fracas that followed the try threatened to taint the match, but both teams restored enough self control for the match to end well.

Further fine breaks from Robertson, Sherlock and Fernyhough saw Nathan score a second and Ben score a first, and Jack Worton's conversions saw the visitors comfortably ahead.

The welcome return of Sam Ward from beauty-threatening injury was another plus, despite the loss this week of key players to handball and Lacrosse injuries.

SCORERS: Fernyhough 2, Sherlock, Boaden, Worton (2 convs)

TOP TACKLER: Plumb 7

1^st November - ANSELMIANS 7 V LYMM 24

Thankfully the worst of the weather passed us by allowing a well contested match to take place.

Lymm started quite brightly, with a sustained period of pressure resulting in an early try for Nick Roberts who finished off a fine break from the returning Ben Sherlock to score in the corner.

The next forty minutes or so of the match was to prove perplexing, as Lymm seemed to struggle with all aspects of their game. The very well drilled home side capitalised on this to take the lead as their prop ran through a number of missed tackles for a fine long range effort.

Anselmians held their lead until inside the last ten minutes of the match and but for some fine play at full back from Luke Jackson might well have increased their score.

The sideline comment " has someone just switched the light on" describes more than adequately Lymm's finish to the game. Suddenly the midfield was no longer plagued by aimless charges into crowded defences and the visitors were looking bright and dangerous.

A sweeping attack on the back of some intelligent support play from Will Taylor saw greg Robertson finish strongly from close range.

Soon after a fine break by Rick Halford allowed the ball to reach Sam Heward in the corner who finished well. Then just before the whistle Heward scored again, benefiting from Jake Lesters strong running at 13.

Add Jack Wortons two conversions into a strong wind, and Lymm were suddenly 17 points up.

Our thanks to the Anselmians folk who are a far stronger side than this and their other recent results suggest. Further thanks are due to them for agreeing to go with uncontested scrums as a result of the lack, due to injury and various other reasons, of any Lymm's prop forwards.

Well done to those lads who braved the weather, and tolerated the pre-match prop related confusion, to give an ultimately commendable performance. Particular plaudits to Will Taylor, James Leach, and Nick Roberts who all made the most of their extended playing time.

SCORERS: Roberts, Robertson, Heward 2, Worton ( 2 convs)

TOP TACKLER: Fernyhough 11

18^th October Lymm 47 Macclesfield 0

We were delighted to welcome our visitors from Macclesfield – showing that rumours of their demise had been greatly exaggerated by arriving with a full compliment of 15. Lymm with their greater squad size were able to field a strong squad of 19 and the difference in numbers certainly had an effect on the ultimate result.

Lymm started strongly with the powerful running of their forwards creating openings elsewhere on the field soon exploited by winger Jake Lester and flanker Greg Robertson with 2 early tries both converted by Jack Worton. Macclesfield competed strongly and some committed tackling held further Lymm attacks at bay for most of the half until a fine backs handling move was well finished by Luke Jackson and converted from wide out by Jack.

Early in the second half a half break by Jack and good offload put Greg Robertson through for a second try taking Lymm well clear. Lymm were able to rotate players at regular intervals throughout the game with no apparent weakening of their side but Macclesfield, restricted to their starting 15, began to tire and lose players as the second half progressed allowing Lymm to run in a further 3 tries through Rick Halford (2) and Jamie Plumb. These together with further conversions from Callum Mackenzie and George Boaden, resulted in a final score of 47-0 which did not reflect fairly on Macclesfield’s effort and competitiveness through most of the game. We wish them well for the remainder of the season.

12^th October CALDY 12 V LYMM 13

This encounter between last years Cheshire Cup finalists was a highly competitive affair between two teams forced to look at the depths of their squads. It is a testament to both that they were able to field such strong teams.

Caldy started brightly, with some good fluid rugby, which was met by Lymm's resolute defence time and again. Neither side could find a way through until Jamie Plumb broke strongly for Lymm to win a penalty near the Caldy line. Tim Young finished with a well taken try to give Lymm the lead.

Soon after Lymm gained another penalty which was converted from some distance by new recruit Cal McKenzie.

In the second half Lymm started the brighter with Young and Greg Robertson linking well off the breakdown, and George Boaden marshalling the side well.

A number of clear chances were not capitalised on, but a Jack Worton penalty gave Lymm a further score.

Caldy responded with a good 20 minutes of sustained pressure which saw them score two tries (from a penalty and a stolen line-out).

The final moments were a battle between Caldy's attack, and the defence of Lymm, with Jake Lester, Nathan Strong and Nat Fernyhough leading the way.

Lymm conceeded two careless penalties in quick succession with minutes left but the home side could not convert these into points, and Lymm held on for their first win on Caldy turf.

Both teams suffered further casualties to add to their list of injured, with Caldy's Alex Bannon suffering the most concerning damage (we wish him a speedy recovery).

Thanks as always to Ian and Steve for their impeccable hospitality.

SCORERS: Young (try) Worton (1 conv, 1 penalty) McKenzie ( 1 penalty)

Top tackler - Fernyhough 11

5th October - Lymm 19 Warrington 21

Missing 11 players injured, unavailable or on County duty, with one of the remaining 17 arriving lame (of which, more later) and with only 6 of their Cheshire Cup Final side in the starting line up (and only 3 of them in their normal position) Lymm were always going to be up against it in taking on a highly motivated and physical Warrington side keen to establish local bragging rights. Untried and makeshift combinations throughout the team failed to gel from the start and Lymm showed only glimpses of their usual form in a first half which went from bad to worse with the concession of 2 tries in the last three minutes which, combined with one earlier, left us trailing 0 -21 at interval.

Half time saw a major reshuffle of the Lymm team aided by the introduction of Cameron Macmaster who had arrived and warmed up limping heavily, but, apparently anaesthetised by Lymm’s first half performance, declared himself fit and stripped off his tracksuit top to reveal not a Lymm shirt but a superman outfit. Cam’s direct running and aggression appeared to galvanise his teammates who began to play as we know they can. A try came – scorer Macmaster. A second – scorer Macmaster. The crowd began to roar and the tension rose but unfortunately with it so did Lymm’s error count as knocks on and other basic errors cost scoring opportunities and field position. At last a third try came – scorer, guess who. One unsuccessful conversion meant we still trailed by 2 points but with 5 minutes to go, still enough time to snatch an improbable victory.

Credit however to Warrington who with one last effort forced Lymm back to their own line where only some last ditch defending saved a match clinching try. The final whistle came too soon for Lymm, back on the attack and looking likely to score at any time.

A disappointing result but a great effort in the second half and surely one of the most striking “impact substitutions” ever seen. A big thank you to all the players who played out of position during the game and a welcome to Nick Roberts who made his debut for us in very difficult circumstances.

Congratulations to Warrington who we look forward to meeting again later in the season.

27th SEPTEMBER - WIRRAL 12 V LYMM 29

The high penalty count in this game assured it would be a disjointed affair, and as such we saw very little open play. Indeed most of Lymm’s 5 tries came from set pieces.

The early skirmishes were quite even, with both sides contesting well in the forwards. The first score came from Lymm stealing the ball from a Wirral line-out and Greg Robertson finishing well from behind the ensuing ruck.

An injury to full-back Cal McKenzie was exploited by Wirral who scored in the corner and converted to take the lead.

Lymm's next score was the result of their continued disruption of the home-sides scrum, with a win against the head, setting the backs free to put Luke Jackson in to score on the wing.

Just before the interval Wirral were penalised for a high tackle on half way. Lymm used the ball cleverly and set up a long overdue trademark break by the forwards. Tim Young and Greg Robertson offloaded nicely with Jamie Plumb finishing the move strongly.

At the interval Lymm held a 17 v 7 lead.

The second half was a similar affair to the first. The introduction of Rob "Hamstrung" Connor give Lymm the direct running from the forwards that was needed. His brief appearance had an immediate impact and his direct approach allowed Lymm to spread the ball across the backs for Jackson to score a second. The conversion attempt hit the post.

A fine backs move by Wirral, who seemed to suddenly become more inventive in their play produced a fine try to bring the scores to 12 v 22. The home side sensed they were still in the game, and but for a number of efforts being held up by resolute Lymm defence might have taken a lead.

However their efforts were undone by a clever Nat Fernyhough break from the back of a scrum on Lymm's 22 metre line. Racing 60 metres he slipped the ball to Rick Halford (playing his third position of the match). Halford kicked ahead and finished well to score a well deserved try.

Cal McKenzie managed to convert from the touchline (for a second week in a row) by hitting post and bar!

Some positives from the match:

how deep and versatile the squad is (we had eleven missing), how well we performed in the scrum, and Rick Halford’s line-out play.

There is room for improvement too, with tight forwards too often playing well away from the breakdown, tackles being missed in the midfield, and of course yet another injury (we wish the hamstring well).

SCORERS: Tries: Jackson 2, Plumb, Robertson, Halford

Conversions: Worton, McKenzie

TOP TACKLER: Plumb / Pennington 6

Thanks to Wirral for a competitive game played in good spirits and for their hospitality.

20^th September Lymm 50 Whitchurch 7

Lymm made a strong start to the season against our first time visitors from Whitchurch although the scoreline does not do justice to the competitiveness and spirit of our opponents. Lymm made a strong start with early tries from Hussain, Robertson, and MacMaster being a just return for some excellent continuity and support play. Whitchurch came back strongly though and only some solid defence denied them a score before a breakout saw Sam Heward, on his return to the side after a few years absence, finish a fine move. Half Time 22-0

The second half saw Lymm run in a further 4 tries as Whitchurch began to tire and suffer injuries which saw them reduced to 14 men at the end. Strong, Plumb(2) and Macmaster were the beneficiaries of some strong running and support play, with the highlight perhaps being the 40 yard burst from prop come second row Rob (Hamstring) Connor which led to one of the Plumb tries and to Rob’s departure from the field clutching that hamstring. In between Whitchurch finally overcame some strong Lymm defence and tackling to score a well deserved consolation try.

A mention to our two debutants, Callum Mackenzie, who kicked 3 conversions (one from the touchline) to add to 2 from Jack Worton, and Jake Lester who was unlucky not to be amongst the scorers. The only sour note from the day was the loss of Sam Ward in the first half to a facial injury (subsequently diagnosed as a double fracture). Best wishes for a swift recovery to Sam and also to Zak Preston who was undergoing an operation to his broken wrist as the match was being played.

Lymm Players Successful in Schools Tens Tournament

Schools featuring Lymm RFC players dominated a Schools 10s tournament on Sunday contested by 12 selected Schools from around the north. The three schools, hosts St Ambrose, Manchester Grammar and Lymm High, were the respective winners of the three qualifying groups. St Ambrose was unlucky to lose its semi-final by an odd conversion to MGS which then met Lymm HS in the final. Tied 5-5 at the end of normal time, the match was decided late into extra time when MGS squeezed over in the corner. Congratulations to Zak Preston & Mat O’Hara of St Ambrose, George Boaden, Ismaeel Hussain, Luke Jackson, Jake Lester, Cameron McMaster, Greg Robertson, Nathan Strong, Jack Worton & Tim Young of Lymm HS and Sam Ward of MGS on their and their schools’ success.

U16 Tim Young wins Cheshire Selection

Second row Tim Young has been selected for the Cheshire U16 2009-2010 squad. This is a particularly significant achievement as the squad has been reduced in number to only 30 this year from the usual 50. Tim’s selection is a well deserved reward for the enormous effort he has put in to improve his fitness and conditioning. It is hoped that, if his wrist injury recovers in time, Ben Sherlock will also be able to rejoin the squad.

Rugby League Scholarship

Congratulations to Nathan Fernyhough who has been offered and accepted a Rugby League scholarship contract with Widnes Vikings - widely regarded as having one of the best youth systems in the country. Nat will have access to high levels of fitness/conditioning and skills coaching . His contract does not preclude him playing Union and we are delighted that he will continue to be able to train with us and play in a good proportion of our matches.

Training now confirmed 7.30 - 9.00 Thursday Victoria Park

Lymm RFC Under 16’s (season 2009/10).

After their most successful season to date, Lymm are looking to make next season even better and are keen to hear from new players who can help us.

An enjoyable tour of Cumbria, the selection of 3 players to the County Squad, and a run to the cup final that saw them beat both last years runners-up and champions, before losing to a late penalty against home side Caldy, were the highlights for this great squad of lads.

We have boys from 7 schools across North Cheshire, close links to our club first team, who assist with team training, and an ongoing Strength & Conditioning programme.

Our fixture list is among the most challenging in the north west, including matches against the best in Lancashire, Cheshire and Staffs, but allows for our full squad to play substantial amounts of time throughout the season.

Add to all this a fine post match and social side for both parents (including the infamous panto) and kids at our Beechwood clubhouse and we are sure potential recruits will find good rugby and a warm welcome.

If you want to know more contact our coaches:

Oz Pennington tel: 07796 200557 email: ozjac@aol.com

Neil Ward tel: 01925 264063 or 07919 497881 email drawlien@yahoo.co.uk

U16 Fixtures 2009-2010