By Cormac Nolan
LYMM Rugby Union showed plenty of promise in an impressive first-half display but were ultimately overpowered after the break as Hinckley secured a 36-15 victory in Leicestershire.
Following an exciting home victory over Hornets the previous weekend, Lymm travelled to face a Hinckley side high on confidence after a narrow away win at Redruth.
On a chilly, misty but dry autumn afternoon, the travelling supporters were hopeful of another positive result, and Lymm certainly gave them plenty to cheer about during an encouraging opening 40 minutes.
There were several changes to the side following the Hornets victory, including the return of Sam Dickenson to the second row, while Logan Byrne and Jamie Cope were named among the replacements.
Harry Wasdell moved into the back row following an impressive performance against Hornets, with Josh Hadland moving into the unfamiliar number 13 shirt to replace the injured Callum Morris.
Lymm made an excellent start and took the lead just five minutes into the contest.
Following a strong series of carries, Hinckley conceded a penalty which Tom Shard kicked into the corner. Lymm’s efficient driving maul created the opportunity for centre James Hampson to finish by the left touchline.
Shard’s conversion was unsuccessful, leaving Lymm 5-0 ahead.
Hinckley enjoyed plenty of possession in the Lymm half over the following 20 minutes, but the visitors defended resolutely, even managing to hold the home side up over the tryline following a scrum free-kick.
Eventually, Hinckley found a way through, moving the ball wide after a series of close-range phases to score in the left corner and level the contest at 5-5 after 25 minutes.
Lymm responded positively, forcing another penalty from the restart and kicking to the corner.
Despite having a driving maul broken up twice, the visitors kept their composure and moved the ball from touchline to touchline before James Pitcher powered over for their second try.
Shard added the conversion to put Lymm 12-5 ahead.
The visitors continued to apply pressure, with Shard producing a chip-and-chase which was hacked into the Hinckley 22.
Lymm’s chasing pack quickly regained possession and, as the ball was moved wide, a Hinckley defender deliberately knocked it forward with an outstretched arm, earning a yellow card.
Shard comfortably converted the resulting penalty to extend Lymm’s advantage to 15-5.
However, the visitors were to be frustrated just before half-time when a promising attacking position broke down following a lineout which was adjudged not straight.
From the resulting scrum, Hinckley chipped the ball into the Lymm midfield before executing a simple two-on-one to score under the posts.
The conversion brought the home side back to within three points.
A further turnover following the restart and a missed drop-goal attempt brought an entertaining first half to a close, with Lymm deservedly leading 15-12.
Half-time: Hinckley 12-15 Lymm
Lymm started the second half positively, securing the kick-off and following it with a Tom Manaton box kick and another spell of determined defensive work.
However, the momentum was about to shift.
A penalty conceded by Lymm allowed Hinckley to build pressure from a lineout, and after a series of close-range carries, the home side crossed for another try.
The conversion was missed, but Hinckley had moved into the lead for the first time at 17-15.
Lymm continued to threaten from their kick-offs, with Wasdell and Rhys Lilly prominent in the air, but a promising knock-back from Lilly was read by a Hinckley player who broke through at pace.
Some excellent offloading created a potential try-scoring opportunity for the home side, but the final pass was spilled on the 22, giving Lymm a reprieve.
The visitors had opportunities to regain the initiative but missed lineouts and conceded penalties allowed Hinckley to maintain pressure.
After another prolonged spell of close-range attacking, the home side forced their way over for a third try, which was converted to make it 24-15.
As the light began to fade, Lymm’s hopes of a comeback became increasingly difficult.
There was some confusion around the hour mark when a sequence of kicks and a chase into the Hinckley in-goal area appeared to offer Lymm a possible opportunity to score.
However, the referee spotted an infringement in the build-up and awarded the visitors a penalty on the 22.
Hinckley continued to make the most of their second-half superiority, and following an overthrown Lymm lineout, a series of offloads created space for another try in the left corner.
The conversion made it 31-15.
Lymm continued to battle, with Josh Hadland acquitting himself well in his unfamiliar backline role, while Jamie Cope produced an excellent piece of back-row play to win a penalty when Hinckley were threatening again.
But unforced errors continued to undermine the visitors’ efforts.
A wayward chip through from Lymm allowed the Hinckley centre to find space on the right wing and, despite some tired tackling, he finished well in the corner to extend the home side’s lead to 36-15 with five minutes remaining.
The final exchanges followed a similar pattern, with Hinckley competing strongly at the Lymm lineout before forcing the ball into touch to bring the contest to an end.
Full-time: Hinckley 36-15 Lymm
Despite the disappointing final scoreline, Lymm can take encouragement from an excellent first-half performance in which they defended superbly and made the most of their opportunities.
The challenge now is to reproduce that performance over a full 80 minutes, particularly with some important fixtures approaching before Christmas.
After the match, coach Andy Davies said: “I thought we were excellent in the first half today; we defended brilliantly and won the territory battle.
“We probably didn’t capitalise on that territory because we were a little one-dimensional in attack.
“Credit to Hinckley, who came out in the second half, put the pressure back on us, and scored quickly.
“We’ve got a couple of big games coming up, so a huge squad effort is needed at training to right some wrongs.”
Lymm will look to bounce back next Saturday when they return to Crouchley Lane to welcome Cinderford, who, like Hinckley the previous week, have enjoyed a narrow victory over Redruth.
LYMM TEAM
Ben Lilley (52); James Pitcher (captain) (122); Matty Hand (144); Sam Dickenson (21); Nathan Ovien (7); Harry Wasdell (9); Finn Williams (10); Rhys Lilly (103); Tom Manaton (57); Tom Shard (captain) (175); Joe Heaton (29); James Hampson (8); Josh Hadland (84); Will Hitchen (5); Alex Muckherjee (10).
**Replacements:** Logan Byrne (8); Joe Higgins (47); Max Ure (20); Jamie Cope (7); Alfie Simpson (62).
*Figures in brackets indicate appearances. An asterisk in the original team sheet denotes a player whose appearance figure was marked accordingly.
