Report by Neil Allen
IN recent seasons this match had been a top of the table clash, however both teams arrived at this fixture in desperate need of a win as Lymm got the job done 45-7 over Waterloo.
The visitors were lookingto record their first win of the season after a summer of turmoil off the pitch and Lymm to avert a run of four defeats that had seen them slide towards the bottom end of the league.
The weather was perfect for rugby and the pitch in its usual immaculate condition. Further injuries saw Lymm ring the changes with Skipper Adam Bray moving to hooker in place of Ross White rested due to concussion; prop Mike Auden having to play second row and Tom Shard, recovered from a broken arm, coming in at scrum-half for his first game of the season. The further return of Richard McEvoy and James Kimber would hopefully bring some much needed pace and zip to the back-line which had been flat in recent weeks.
The first minute of the game saw the benefit of pace as McEvoy made good yards, recycling the ball and Sam Mullarkey picking a great line to go over for an immediate try. Not for the first time that afternoon Tom Shard added the extras, clearly his lay-off had not affected his kicking boots.
The game settled down with Waterloo probing but the Lymm defence was good and knocked the away side’s advances back. On ten-minutes Joe Knowles gathered a kick in the Lymm twenty-five metre area, sensing space he took the ball well over half-way before passing to Tom Bray to sprint over. Conversion added to make it 14-0. Next it was Olli Higginson’s turn to go over from the back of a driving maul to take it to 19-0 after 15 minutes.
Despite the score it was not all one-way traffic, however Waterloo could not make any headway past the strong Lymm defence, who knocked them back over the gain line time and time again, with some great hits led by the back row trio of Mullarkey, Jake Ashall and Adam Bray. The rest of the half petered out with Lymm being guilty of their usual failing of all too easily spilling or turning over the ball.
Lymm came out for the second half far sharper and after 5 minutes recorded the bonus point try, Higginson claiming his second after getting on the end of a speculative hoist into the in-goal area. This was soon followed up by Mullarkey with his second, a carbon copy of his first minute try, picking another great line to sprint over.
With the result no longer in doubt the game went to sleep, punctuated only by a deserved Waterloo try scored from close quarters. The travelling Waterloo crowd went wild.
With the score now at 33-7 this stirred Lymm to re-assert themselves, scoring two further tries before the end. Firstly through Jordan Widdrington, controlling a catch and drive to flop over and finally Mullarkey securing his hat-trick, this time benefitting from an off load from Ashall, (who had created holes in the Waterloo defence all day), following a another typically bullocking run. Final score 45-7.
Coach Fletcher commented. “A much needed win for the boys. We have really been tested over the past few weeks with a growing injury list & players unavailability. It is a testament to our squad depth that we can still turn over a good team Like Waterloo. Credit has to go to the 2nd XV who went to Macclesfield 2s with pretty much a colts side & put in a great performance.”
In the end this was a satisfactory win and a job well done with some good tries and excellent defence. The lads will know however that a far stiffer test awaits next week away at the unbeaten league leaders Huddersfield.
Squad: 1) Dan Horton, 2) Adam Bray (C), 3) Jordan Widdrington, 4) Mike Auden, 5) Matty Connelly, 6)1Jake Ashall, 7) Sam Mullarkey, 8) Oli Higginson, 9) Tom Shard, 10) Will Titherington, 11) Chris Owen, 12) Tom Bray, 13) Richard McEvoy, 14) James Kimber, 15) Joe Knowles, 16) James Yates, 17) Cormac Nolan, 18) Michael Floyd.
