Report by Neil Allen
LYMM enjoyed their first ever visit to Pocklington coming away with a 7-42 bonus point win courtesy of a clinical second half display.
Light drizzle greeted the teams as they entered the fray and whilst the pitch was heavy it held up well. Lymm introduced one new face to the usual match day squad, with Sam Fisher making his debut on the wing. Other than that is was business as usual and the hope that Lymm could get back to something like their early season form, against the leagues bottom team, following a few tough weeks.
Things certainly started well with centre James Kimber bullocking his way over in the first minute, crossing the try line like a pin ball leaving most of the Pocklington team in his wake. Kimber was to be a handful all afternoon making any number of line breaks. Cormac Nolan added the extras in what was to be an immaculate day from the kicking tee for the Lymm full back.
On ten minutes Kimber’s fellow centre Tom Bray got in on the act crashing over following a 5-yard scrum and off-load from Olli Higginson. With ten minutes gone it was 0 – 14 and Lymm probably thought the game was in the bag. It was soon clear however that Pocklington were not going to lie down and prompted by their scrum-half, who incidentally was bigger than most of Lymm’s pack, the home side started to take the game to Lymm. Lymm’s intensity dropped and mistakes started to creep in as Pocklington upped their game. With 5-minutes of the half remaining Pocklington were rewarded for their endeavours with a try in the corner to take the half-time score to 7 – 14.
What had seemed a romp was now game on and coach Adam Fletcher would need to go to work at the break. Whatever was said seemed to work as straight from the resumption, following a period of broken play orchestrated by Scott Redfern, debutant Sam Fisher went over for a try. Minutes later the bonus point was secured following great interplay again featuring Kimber and a lovely inside ball from Andy Davies, winger Joe Denman was the beneficiary this time scampering under the posts. This was the accuracy that had been missing in the first half.
Pocklington however remained dogged but Lymm were now far more clinical. Another fine move, which even featured prop Jordan Widdrington displaying a couple of fine off-loads, saw Ali Sutherland on the end of things. As the weather closed in the last word went to Joe Watson, who crashed over from a 5-yard line out. With Cormack Nolan adding the extras to give him a 100% return, the final 42-7 score line may have flattered Lymm. Pocklingnton had competed evenly for much of the game but it is perhaps that extra bit of quality that marks the difference between the top and bottom of the league.
A well-deserved victory and some signs of a return to the all-court game that has understandably been less evident in the winter months. The only blemish on the day was what looked like a couple of nasty injuries to key players Andy Davies and Jake Ashall. It is hoped with a blank weekend next week, the lads will be back for the visit of table toppers Preston Grasshoppers to Crouchley Lane on the 24th March, KO 3pm. This match will also mark the annual players’ reunion.
Next Saturday Lymm 2nds are at home to Wirral 2nds, KO 3pm.
Team
1) Gav Woods, 2) Adam Bray (C), 3) Matty Hands, 4) Joe Watson, 5) Sam Mullarkey, 6) Jake Ashall, 7) Ali Sutherland, 8) Olli Higginson, 9) Andy Davies, 10) Scott Redfern, 11) Sam Fisher, 12) Tom Bray, 13) James Kimber, 14) Joe Denman, 15) Cormac Nolan,
16) Aaron Rasheed, 17) Matt Connelly, 18) Jordan Widdrington.
