Lymm Youth Rugby

Cheshire Cup Final: Stockport 0 v 31 Lymm

Lymm saved their best performance of the season for the biggest match of the season. They demonstrated, yet again, they can move up a gear for a knock-out match – and another still for a final.

And they were up against a fine team who were worthy finalists, having beaten both semi-finalists, the plate winners and the Lancashire cup winners during the season.

But Lymm put on a superb display. Calm, disciplined and focussed on their match tactics from the first minute. Don’t be deceived by the comfortable-looking score – it was far from it. In fact Stockport had at least as much territory and possession as Lymm – if not more. The difference was that Lymm’s defence was magnificent and they knew how to finish when there was a glimpse of an opening. Time and time again Stockport’s big, quick strike runners tore at Lymm. Time and time again they were knocked down before the gain line. After soaking up some early pressure Lymm started to win some ball and play some rugby. This led to 2 fine early tries from captain Mark Dixon. Then, just before half-time came the try of the match, if not the season. A lot of the credit for this try should go to coach Johnstone who had worked tirelessly with the boys on keeping the ball alive before contact. I’m sure this try went through all 15 sets of hands (possibly an exaggeration!) forwards offloading, backs following their passes for a move that swept the length and width of the pitch before wing Liam Eakins touched down in the corner. Just before half time Lymm went down to 14 men with their first-ever sin-binning! To be fair to the ref he had warned the Lymm captain about a series of offside offences and Alex Nolan took the card for the team when he went off his feet at the next ruck. No complaints about that, but keeping him off for 14 mins in a 50 min match seemed a bit harsh! Half-time 17-0 to Lymm.

The second half was a repeat of the first. No dropped heads from Stockport who continued to batter at Lymm, who in turn tackled everything that wasn’t green and white. Luke Richards was the next to get his name in on the score-sheet with a trademark break through the centre to split the defence. And it wouldn’t be a cup-final if Alex Mansfield-Hickman didn’t score! Despite being subbed at half-time, he came back on at full-back to outpace the Stockport defence in a kick chase to score a fine try. Tim Downes, Alex Mitchell and Mark Dixon also landed conversions.

Thanks to Wirral RFC for their excellent organisation, the ref and Stockport – a proud bunch of lads who gave us a hell of a game.

All 22 of the Lymm squad played and made a full contribution to this match:  The men of the match were: Bellerby K, Bellerby M,  Byrne, Diamond J, Dickinson, Dixon, Downes, Eakins, Harris, Johnstone,  Loughridge, Makin, Mansfield-Hickman, McCormack,  McGrail,  Mitchell, Nolan,  Plumb, Richards, Walkington, Warburton-Thomas, Wardner.