by Malcolm Pritchard
LYMM entertained Otley at Beechwood having last played them at home 21/22 season in the old North 1 league, when Otley won 33-15 on their way to promotion to the National League.
The game on Saturday was important to both sides as they tried to secure their place in this very competitive League. With Otley just above Lymm in the table, a tight contest was envisaged after the high scoring game at Otley earlier in the season, which ended with Otley running out narrow winners. Lymm selected the same starting 15 that had performed admirably last week at high flying Sheffield, while Otley welcomed back 3 forwards their previous loss to Wharfedale.
Conditions were breezy with the rain starting as Otley kicked off towards the Club House end, with strong wind behind them. Immediately they were on the attack as Lymm spilled the ball, attacking relentlessly whilst showing good handling skills and patience as they probed the Lymm defence for a weakness. However, Lymm’s strong defence, which was a feature throughout the game, just about kept the Yorkshiremen out as they were held up over the line.
It then became Lymm’s turn to string multiple phases together with backs and forwards linking well but they too came up against a determined, well organised defence. One area where Lymm were on top in the early stages was the line-out and it was a line-out following a penalty kick to the corner, which resulted in a catch and drive for Rob Makin to touch down for an unconverted try, 5-0 after 11 mins.
Lymm now started to control the game, retaining possession, and making good breaks through Cal Morris and the ever-present Ben Thompson. However, the last pass not going to hand, or the ball lost in contact, thwarted good scoring chances. Otley were still dangerous, but the Lymm defence was proving very effective which coupled with only one first half penalty restricted their attacking opportunities. Gavin Stead, the Otley kicker, missed a penalty from 35 metres on 28 mins which was the nearest they came to scoring throughout the half.
As the half was drawing to a close, Lymm produced an excellent move which ended up with the ball being held up over the Otley line. However, they were not to be denied as from the drop kick restart Paddy Jennings fielding the ball 65 metres out and set off for the Otley line, beating numerous defenders with his strength, pace and footwork to score an outstanding individual, unconverted, try 10-0. Then immediately from the restart Lymm put together a fast-flowing move but the last pass didn’t go to hand, otherwise another try would have surely been scored. This heralded the half time whistle, a period in which Lymm had played well against the strong wind, their cause helped by not giving away cheap yards from penalties, defending well and taking their opportunities when they arose.
Half Time: LYMM 10 – 0 OTLEY
Lymm kicked off the second half as the conditions worsened with the rain intensifying. Lymm continued where they had left off and after good play, they ended up with a line out deep into the Otley 22. The line out was secured and the Lymm forwards began driving towards the line, to be halted 5 metres out. But the ever-alert Morris spotted a gap and as he was tackled just short of the line, he offloaded to skipper James Yates who crashed over for an unconverted try on 46 mins. 15-0.
Conditions were now getting even worse, and more errors were creeping in, especially from Lymm, as Otley tried to break the stranglehold that the Lymm defence had on them. The momentum was starting to swing Otley’s way as Lymm conceded both possession and penalties. However, an Otley attack was repelled from the Lymm line as the replacement front row drove Otley off their own scrum ball 15 metres from the Lymm line and Tom Shard cleared the danger with an excellent kick to touch.
However, Otley were not to be denied and after Jack Reynolds was yellow carded, Otley’s best player, Eddie Crossland, went over for a try on 63 mins which Gavin Stead converted. 15-7.
The last 15 minutes of matches has proved over the season to be a nerve wrecking affair, and this was no exception. Otley continued to press but Lymm’s defence kept them at bay. Lymm had very little possession and when they did get their hands on it, mistakes crept in. They did have one opportunity for a bonus point try from a 5-metre line-out but again the slippery ball couldn’t be controlled.
Otley came back again moving the ball as quickly as they could in the conditions and with 3 minutes to go, they created an overlap for their speedy winger to finish with Gavin Stead kicking an excellent conversion. The last 3 minutes were played out in the Otley half with Lymm gaining possession and running the clock down, with the forwards orchestrated by Cal Morris sticking it up the proverbial jumper until Otley transgressed and gave away a penalty. There appeared to be some confusion over whether time was up but the ball was tapped and kicked to touch, as the relief of the referee’s whistle signalled the end of the proceedings.
Full Time: LYMM 15 – 14 OTLEY
This was a vital win for Lymm who for 60 minutes controlled the game, but as we know there are no poor sides in this league and mistakes get punished. The defence and commitment of the Lymm players was outstanding, which also could be said of Otley, in a very competitive game played in poor conditions. Next week Lymm travel to Hull Ionians which will be another important game for both sides as Ionians try to move out of the relegation zone.
We would like to thank the referee and his officials who kept the game flowing in difficult conditions. Also, as always, it was pleasure to entertain the Otley stalwarts who represented their club with their usual style and good humour.
After the game coach Adam Fletcher summed up his thoughts on the game, “Our excellent first half display based on defence and discipline won us the game. We looked in complete control for 60 mins and arguably should have been more than 15-0 up. Otley fought back strongly in the last 20 mins as we struggled to wrestle back momentum. However, we closed the game out well to pick up a really important win. “
The Otley coaching staff selected Steve Pilkington as their man of the match for Lymm.
Squad:
Ralph McEachran (10); Rob Makin* (57); Matty Hand* (100); Ben Thompson (20); James Yates* (c) (110); Joe Johnson* (12); Harry Martin (43); Josh Hadland* (33); Callum Morris (31); Tom Shard* (129); Paddy Jennings* (45); Ste Pilkington* (60); James Kimber* (104); Nathan Beesley* (63); Jack Reynolds (16). Bench – James Pitcher* (60); Jordan Widdrington* (237); Gav Woods (125); Oli Higginson* (256); Alfie Simpson* (24).
( ) = number of Lymm First XV League appearances
* Former Lymm Academy/M&J player
