Lymm mauled by the Tigers

LYMM welcomed Sheffield Tigers to Beechwood on a perfect day for rugby and were on the wrong end of a 15-34 mauling.
Dugdale returned for Lymm in the centre but Darbyshire was not available in the second row, other than that Lymm were close to full-strength.
The game started brightly and the early exchanges were even with both teams looking to run the ball. Sheffield’s play was a little more precise and after ten minutes a series of scrums on the Lymm line led to a well worked pick up and drive resulting in a try for the winger in the corner. A good conversion made it 7-0 to the Tigers. Lymm responded and some good work by Tom Bray and Cormac Nolan put Joe Knowles in at the corner. Nolan couldn’t add the extras. Almost immediately the Sheffield full-back hoisted a high ball collected his-own kick and ran in un-opposed. 15 minutes gone and 14-5 to Sheffield.
Lymm then had a good period of pressure and for the next 20 minutes put together some good rugby, looking dangerous with ball in hand but wrong options, knock-ons and failure to convert openings meant the only reward for all the good work was a penalty. Lymm could have had at least two tries but lack of precision meant opportunities went begging. The last five minutes of the first half saw Sheffield in the Lymm half, again coming away with points to take the score to 17-8 at half-time. This was the story of the half, Sheffield being far more clinical when opportunities presented themselves.
The second half followed a similar pattern. Lymm started brightly a Nolan break was stopped just short of the line. Rowley then had a snaking run, from the subsequent ruck Baker had a dart, which was held up and then Widdrington finally flopped over the line with a Nolan conversion making it 17-15. Again, almost immediately, Sheffield made an excursion in to the Lymm half and came away with penalty points to make it 20-15.
At this point Lymm’s frustrations began to surface. Having been on the wrong-side of the referee all day Tom Bray said one word too many and was shown a yellow card. Sheffield were typically clinical during this period, taking advantage of gaps and missed tackles to score a converted try and take the score to 27-15. Lymm continued to press and a Rowley try was chalked-off for a double movement. Tigers then scored a break-away try to make it 34-15 and the game was up. Feeling frustrated by decisions, Adam Bray was next to fall foul of the referee and Lymm had to play the rest of the game with fourteen men. Lymm never gave up and defended valiantly and looked to run the ball back at Sheffield, but it was all too late and the referee finally ended the game in the gathering gloom with no further scores.
Sheffield Tigers are a good team, (even better singers), and were very clinical today. They fully deserved the win but with more precision, a little bit of luck and keeping on the right side of the referee the score could and should have been much closer.
When Mr Bray Senior was asked to comment on the referee’s dislike of his lovely boys he had little sympathy, commenting ‘they should learn to keep their mouths shut’. In-keeping with this advice and having been misquoted on several occasions over previous weeks, coach Adam Fletcher remained tight lipped at the end of the game.
This game marked the halfway point of the season, next week Lymm travel to Beverley.
Team
1) Mike Auden; 2) Adam Bray; 3) Jordan Widdrington; 4) Alex Kaihau; 5) Sion Williams (C); 6) Sam Mullarkey: 7) Ross White; 8) Jake Ashall; 9) Tom Baker; 10) Tom Bray; 11) Rowley, Emmitt; 12) Giles Dugdale; 14) Cormac Nolan; 15) Joe Knowles; 16) Richard McEvoy; 17) Keiron Williams; 18) Callum McGuiness