Lymm rewarded with Cheshire Cup Semi Final

LYMM’S journey through the Cheshire Cup has not been a long one in recent seasons but a 20-7 victory against Macclesfield secured at least a semi-final and, on the face of this performance, an ability to take on all-comers this season.
Macclesfield, who won promotion to National One are effectively two divisions above Lymm, put out a developmental side in what was anticipated to be quite a test and tough encounter – so it proved.
New coach Adam Fletcher, despite being without five first team players due to injury or holidays, was still able to select from a talented squad due to new additions and the inclusion of emerging players from the junior ranks. He had emphasised the need for great pre-season training and this seemed evident today.
He must have been particularly pleased with the performance of Jake Ashall who has returned from two seasons with neighbouring Warrington. His work rate in the tackle area and penetration from open side was a feature of the match and gave the opposition real problems.
Adam Bray at Number 8 was also back to his abrasive best, following a knee injury scare two weeks ago. Joe Knowles at fly half orchestrated his back division superbly, spreading the ball wide then punching up the middle with accuracy and speed.
This was rewarded with an unconverted try by centre Tom Bray following slick inter-play between forwards and backs, 5-0. A penalty shortly afterwards from full back Cormac Nolan gave the home side an 8-0 lead.
Captain and second row Sion Williams put in a forceful shift alongside his engine room partner Tom Darbyshire who both had the edge over their younger counterparts. The handling was mesmerising at times, as Lymm played with intensity and determination to keep the ball alive.
Williams was rewarded for his efforts early in the second half when he went over for an unconverted team try for a 13-0 lead, after great build-up, much to the delight of the swelling home support.
In a rare foray into the Lymm 22 the visitors eventually got the reward they were looking for with a well taken converted try but this proved the only time they were to breach an otherwise solid Lymm defence, 13-7.
Nolan, who has over a 70% success rate with his kicking uncharacteristically missed a further two relatively easy penalty kicks to put daylight between the teams. However, Adam Bray eventually crossed the line in the last action of the match much to the relief of the home supporters, which Nolan duly converted to loud cheers from the crowd and players alike.
Fletcher was relieved and encouraged by the team’s performance. ‘It was good to win the match as this sets us up for our first league match on Saturday. We will start with confidence and the depth of the squad gives me some real selection problems.’
Lymm’s supporters can now look forward to a combative season in League Three North, starting with Billingham away on Saturday.
Team: Reay, White, Ashton, Williams (C), Darbyshire, Mullarkey, Ashall, A Bray, Baker, Knowles, Wells, Boaden, T Bray, McEvoy, Nolan. Reserves: Yates, Williams, G Boaden, J Cooper, C Harris.
Picture shows Lymm’s captain and try scorer Sion Williams in line-out action against Macclesfield