by Andy Leach
LYMM travelled to Marl Pits to play 2nd placed Rossendale in the first match of the second-half of the season where they suffered a heavy 54-6 defeat.
With Lymm having won the home encounter convincingly, inflicting Rossendale’s heaviest defeat of the season to date in the process, the casual observer might have judged this to be a Lymm win in the offing.
However, since that Saturday in September the fortunes of the two teams have taken quite different paths. ‘Dale won 10 of the next 11 matches they played, playing week in, week out with a consistent squad; Lymm on the other hand have stuttered and started and never been able to field the same team, and often combinations of players, from one week to the next.
This, coupled with history – Lymm have never won at Marl Pits, despite having played there 6 times over the past 8 seasons – more than suggested that this was always going to be a tough match.
Lymm’s hopes weren’t helped by an ever growing injury list which claimed Tom Baker and, on the morning of the match, Andy Davies and the unavailability of Ollie Higginson and Rich McEvoy. This led coach Fletcher to significantly adjusted his back line and award First XV debuts to university returnee James Lewis and 17-year old Lucas Titherington. In fact so youthful was the Lymm team that the three-quarter line had an average age of 19.
Conditions at Rossendale were good for mid-December but the leaden skies suggested that the match would be finished in the gathering gloom. Rossendale won the toss and, as always appears to be the case, elected to play up the not inconsiderable slope first. If Lymm were to get anything out of this match it was important to start well and have a clear lead at half-time, as Rossendale certainly had plenty of experience in how to use the slope to their advantage.
Lymm kicked-off but the opening exchanges were all Rossendale – good ball retention and strong running, aided by the occasional Lymm infringement at the breakdown, marched ‘Dale up the slope to the Lymjm line, which was eventually breached from close quarters on 5 minutes. 7-0
In fact it was 7 minutes before Lymm got their hands on the ball but, when they did, direct running and good support play took them close to Rossendale’s line where an indiscretion gave Nolan the opportunity to open Lymm’s account on 11 minutes from close range. 7-3
The next period of play was fairly even, with Lymm’s defense often causing errors from Rossendale and, on 21 minutes, a penalty award from just inside the Rossendale half was duly converted by Nolan, 7-6
The next score was likely to be important and Lymm got so very, very close when a move down the right flank sent Lucas Titherington off towards the Rossendale line only to be brought back for what can at best be described as the most marginal of forward passes. Shortly after this, on 28 minutes, Rossendale scored their second try after breaching the Lymm mid-field defence 22m out and, unfortunately for Lymm a lapse of concentration at the restart allowed Rossendale to break the Lymm line again and, despite sterling cover defence, the Rossendale support play was good enough to convert the opportunity. So, in a matter of minutes there had effectively been a 21 point turnaround in fortunes and the writing was on the wall for Lymm. 21-6
On the stroke of half-time, Rossendale got their fourth, bonus point try when the referee adjudged a fair touchdown in the left-hand corner. 28-6
The next try on 50 minutes summed up Lymm’s day – after being under the cosh in their own 22 for a long period, Lymm finally forced a Rossendale error from an attacking line-out and kicked the ball clear, however the ball conveniently bounced into the arms of the Rossendale wing, who wrong-footed the advancing Lymm players threading a path through the traffic to touch down near the posts. 35-6
Further Rossendale tries, two of which were converted, followed on 60, 63 and 70 minutes as the pressure told on a tiring Lymm defence. 54-6
A tough day for Lymm with the positive features being Nolan’s outstanding cover defence; the encouraging debuts made by both Lucas Titherington and Lewis; and that Lymm never gave up.
Team:
1) Dan Horton, 2) Ross White, 3) Jordan Widdrington, 4), Mike Auden 5) Alex Kahui, 6) Joe Watson, 7) Adam Bray, 8) Jake Ashall, 9) Tom Shard, 10) Tom Bray, 11) Joe Denman, 12) Will Titherington, 13) James Kimber, 14) Lucas Titherington, 15) Cormac Nolan, 16) James Lewis, 17) Matty Connolly
