Lymm topple leaders in thriller!

LYMM staged a stunning second half fightback to topple league leaders Chester on their home soil, inflicting only their second defeat of the season.
With 20 minutes to go, and 30 -11 down, the momentum swung in Lymm’s favour with a remarkable and well deserved victory.
By the end of the match, territorially, Lymm’s Pie Chart would probably indicate 65.8% in their favour but Chester, especially in the early exchanges looked every inch the league leaders as the fly half Hayes made a half break, feeding outside centre Foden to score wide out on the left after 3 minutes, making it 5-0.
A couple of loose kicks from Lymm soon taught them that the opposing back division were not to be given any ball in space or, like the last time these two teams met, they would run havoc once more. As Lymm attempted to hit back Chester’s defence held firm until an infringement in front of the posts allowed right wing Cormac Nolan to open his side’s scoring, 5-3. An offside in front of Lymm’s posts soon after the re-start gave Chester an 8-3 lead extension. Despite a parity in the early exchanges Chester displayed a canniness, compared to the visitors’ naivety.
The home sides’ half backs began to look the difference between the sides as they both displayed nous and illusiveness.
Another penalty in front of the posts, after a great break from the scrum half Goodwin, eased them into an 11-3 lead. A scrum 25m out gave Chester the platform for No 8 Bown to eventually dive over for a converted try and a lead of 18-3. It was looking ominous for Lymm!
The few breaks Lymm were getting became fewer when the referee gave some odd decisions. Not least when full back Dave Wiiliamson made a superb break, and a try-scoring opportunity, only to be brought back for a Lymm scrum because a defensive player had been obstructed by the ref. Home and away fans were all puzzled by this decision.
On a heavy pitch, and with the memory of a heavy defeat by lower ranked Birkenhead Park still smarting, Lymm brought out a Churchill’s tank of a rolling maul, for prop Brotherton, who looked lively throughout, to barge over making it 18-8. A further penalty just before half time edged Lymm closer at 18-11, to keep them in the game. Nevertheless there was still an imprecision about Lymm’s execution which did not bode well for the second half.
How negative that looks now in retrospect but true and there was very little optimism in the Lymm support at this stage. Fly half Luke Emmitt left the field with a dodgy knee and Joe Knowles stepped up. This also allowed young Nathan Fernyhough to come on at inside centre. Fears were worsened when Chester, despite over-throwing at an attacking line-out, scored a converted try from wide out, after poor Lymm passing from the defensive maul, and subsequent attacking scrum, 25 -11.
The Lymm backs continued to offer Christmas gifts when a speculative Chester kick for touch was mis-fielded by the winger and full-back. The Under 7’s coach informed me he has eradicated this from his team’s game already by teaching them to shout ‘Mine’! The subsequent kick-through and attacking scrum helped Chester’s No 8 Bown get his brace, taking the score to 30-11, but not before Lymm’s scrum half Bates had been yellow carded for handling in the ruck.
However, this appeared to galvanise Lymm who charged up the pitch for a line-out 10m out, and for back row Tim Oakes to initially knock-on in the act of scoring, then score legitimately from another of Churchill’s rolling mauls taking it to 30-16.
Momentum swung seriously in Lymm’s favour at this moment, but with 20 minutes to go no-one could have predicted what was going to happen next.
Lymm’s pack took the game by the scruff of the neck. They seem to be playing just for pride but Chester were showing signs of buckling and their normally dependable backs started dropping the ball, or holding on in the tackle and generally panicking.
A well worked attack, from solid forward play, allowed outstanding Fernyhough to make an outside break then put out a long, accurate pass to left wing Richard McEvoy to score in the corner which Nolan duly converted –
30-23 and all to play for.
Chester’s confidence was beginning to look very brittle as the Lymm pack continued in the ascendency and battered the home team’s line. At one stage a 4 on 2 break looked to have given Lymm the one opportunity they needed, only for the key pass to go to ground.
It was then Chester’s winger turn to be sin binned for handling in the maul and, from the subsequent kick to the corner and line-out, Tom Baker took advantage of yet another imperious rolling maul to equal the scores when Nolan converted his try – 30-30 and minutes left on the clock.
Chester were looking increasingly creaky at this point as Lymm dominated territory and yet another infringement gave Nolan what all thought was a last attempt to win by kicking at goal from 38m out. He failed with this but one minute later succeeded with the last kick of the game, 25m out on the left, to win an exciting and season defining match – 30-33.
Spectators and players alike could not quite believe it but the home crowd were gracious in defeat if a little upset by their team’s capitulation.

McEvoy’s try