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Sat 05 Jan 2019 ·  North Premier
Lymm
1st XV
23
34
Tries: C Crowley, T Parry, C Speed (2), C Harvey, J ReeveConversions: J Annetts (2)Yellow Carded: C Speed, C Harvey
Wirral Have Too Much 'Speed' For Lymm
Andrew Broadbent6 Jan 2019 - 18:15
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Happy New Year to all supporters from the Wirral team and coaches.
Since our last match against Hull in mid-December and the subsequent 3 week break has enabled a number of players to recover from their injuries enabling coach, Darren Hall to select his team from the full squad. CHRIS CROWLEY returns at full back, CRAIG HARVEY to fly half, JAMES ANNETTS to centre with wingers being DANNY HARVEY and MARK WILLIAMS. JACK YARKER returned to prop with the subs being DANNY LIGHT, RYAN STEAD and BEN BROOKS.
For January the game was played in ideal conditions with Wirral playing up the slope in the first half. In the first minutes of the game Wirral were awarded 2 penalties which took them to 10m from the Lymm line. A 3rd penalty was awarded which the away side took quickly and after a number of thrusts were deemed to be held up over the line. From the resultant scrum the ball was quickly swung down the line from CRAIG to JAMES ANNETTS and on to CHRIS CROWLEY who cruised through the gap to score under the posts and duly converted by JAMES ANNETTS. 0-7 (8 mins).
At the other end, a break by Lymm was broken up by a strong ROB PEARL tackle, however from this play Lymm were awarded a penalty which Cormac Nolan knocked over from 34 m. The kick off was caught by Lymm and the ball was passed back to the full back whose kick was charged down by TOM PARRY and TOM ran forward to collect the ball and dive over to score, the conversion was missed. 3-12 (12 mins). A further penalty was scored by Nolan 6-12 (16 mins). Lymm suffered the first of their yellow cards.
On 19 minutes a half break by CRAIG HARVEY enabled him to get the pass away to CHRIS SPEED who raced away 15m to score near the posts and converted by JAMES ANNETTS. 6-19. Lymm were putting a number of plays together and made progress and had the opportunity to score but the final pass was knocked forward. The home side had a period attacking the Wirral line but the only reward was another penalty by Nolan 9-19 (27 mins).
This was followed by the most contentious incident of the game when DAN HARVEY in possession cut inside only to be subjected to a very high tackle which felled him. Dan had to leave the field with a sprained shoulder. All around thought it was a red card situation but only a yellow was brandished to Joseph Watson yet we lost the player for the rest of the game, BEN BROOKS came on his place. Lymm had a good chance to score but the winger dropped the ball with the Wirral line at their mercy, further pressure was exerted on the Wirral line but the strong defence kept out Lymm. The final 13 minutes of the half saw Lymm enjoy the majority of the territory and possession but could not find their way through the Wirral defence to leave the score 9-19 at half-time.
The second half started with Lymm on the attack until losing the ball at the line out and RYAN HIGGINSON making a strong 30m break before handing onto ROB PEARL, who was stopped 20m from the Lymm line, the ball was recycled and JAMES REEVE made a run for the line but as tackled passed inside to the supporting CRAIG HARVEY, the conversion was missed. RYAN STEAD came on for PAUL LEWIS (53 minutes).
Another break by RYAN HIGGINSON took play deep into the Lymm half and onto CHRIS CROWLEY with Wirral being halted 15m from the line, the ball came out and all we could see from the other side was CHRIS SPEED going over for his second try the conversion was again missed from the touchline. 9-29 (58 minutes). DANNY LIGHT came on for JACK YARKER.
Again RYAN HIGGINSON was prominent with a run from his own 20m area to the half way line before passing onto BEN BROOKS, the ball came loose and JAMES REEVE picked up some 60m out. A strong run down the touchline outpaced the would be tacklers, the Lymm players coming across the field reached JAMES a few metres from the line, he slowed, stepped inside to crash over for the best try of the day, the conversion was missed. 9-34 (60 minutes).
On 66 minutes, CHRIS SPEED was sin binned for an attempted interception and 3 minutes later CRAIG HARVEY was sin binned for a high tackle- down to 13 men. For the next 8/9 minutes Wirral kept Lymm at bay and it was not until the 78th minute that the whitewash was crossed when Tom Shard crossed and converted by Nolan. With the final play of the game Lymm scored a second try through Jordan Widdrington and was also converted. The score line gives Lymm some respectability but Wirral had this game well won by the 60th minute.
This was a much improved Wirral performance by all 18 players and used their possession to good effect with good backing up enabled a number of tries to be scored. Wirral remain in 7th place and next week are at home to 4th placed Harrogate, kick off 2.15 in what should be an interesting game given WIRRAL ran them close earlier in the season at Harrogate.
Richard McNeil
For January the game was played in ideal conditions with Wirral playing up the slope in the first half. In the first minutes of the game Wirral were awarded 2 penalties which took them to 10m from the Lymm line. A 3rd penalty was awarded which the away side took quickly and after a number of thrusts were deemed to be held up over the line. From the resultant scrum the ball was quickly swung down the line from CRAIG to JAMES ANNETTS and on to CHRIS CROWLEY who cruised through the gap to score under the posts and duly converted by JAMES ANNETTS. 0-7 (8 mins).
At the other end, a break by Lymm was broken up by a strong ROB PEARL tackle, however from this play Lymm were awarded a penalty which Cormac Nolan knocked over from 34 m. The kick off was caught by Lymm and the ball was passed back to the full back whose kick was charged down by TOM PARRY and TOM ran forward to collect the ball and dive over to score, the conversion was missed. 3-12 (12 mins). A further penalty was scored by Nolan 6-12 (16 mins). Lymm suffered the first of their yellow cards.
On 19 minutes a half break by CRAIG HARVEY enabled him to get the pass away to CHRIS SPEED who raced away 15m to score near the posts and converted by JAMES ANNETTS. 6-19. Lymm were putting a number of plays together and made progress and had the opportunity to score but the final pass was knocked forward. The home side had a period attacking the Wirral line but the only reward was another penalty by Nolan 9-19 (27 mins).
This was followed by the most contentious incident of the game when DAN HARVEY in possession cut inside only to be subjected to a very high tackle which felled him. Dan had to leave the field with a sprained shoulder. All around thought it was a red card situation but only a yellow was brandished to Joseph Watson yet we lost the player for the rest of the game, BEN BROOKS came on his place. Lymm had a good chance to score but the winger dropped the ball with the Wirral line at their mercy, further pressure was exerted on the Wirral line but the strong defence kept out Lymm. The final 13 minutes of the half saw Lymm enjoy the majority of the territory and possession but could not find their way through the Wirral defence to leave the score 9-19 at half-time.
The second half started with Lymm on the attack until losing the ball at the line out and RYAN HIGGINSON making a strong 30m break before handing onto ROB PEARL, who was stopped 20m from the Lymm line, the ball was recycled and JAMES REEVE made a run for the line but as tackled passed inside to the supporting CRAIG HARVEY, the conversion was missed. RYAN STEAD came on for PAUL LEWIS (53 minutes).
Another break by RYAN HIGGINSON took play deep into the Lymm half and onto CHRIS CROWLEY with Wirral being halted 15m from the line, the ball came out and all we could see from the other side was CHRIS SPEED going over for his second try the conversion was again missed from the touchline. 9-29 (58 minutes). DANNY LIGHT came on for JACK YARKER.
Again RYAN HIGGINSON was prominent with a run from his own 20m area to the half way line before passing onto BEN BROOKS, the ball came loose and JAMES REEVE picked up some 60m out. A strong run down the touchline outpaced the would be tacklers, the Lymm players coming across the field reached JAMES a few metres from the line, he slowed, stepped inside to crash over for the best try of the day, the conversion was missed. 9-34 (60 minutes).
On 66 minutes, CHRIS SPEED was sin binned for an attempted interception and 3 minutes later CRAIG HARVEY was sin binned for a high tackle- down to 13 men. For the next 8/9 minutes Wirral kept Lymm at bay and it was not until the 78th minute that the whitewash was crossed when Tom Shard crossed and converted by Nolan. With the final play of the game Lymm scored a second try through Jordan Widdrington and was also converted. The score line gives Lymm some respectability but Wirral had this game well won by the 60th minute.
This was a much improved Wirral performance by all 18 players and used their possession to good effect with good backing up enabled a number of tries to be scored. Wirral remain in 7th place and next week are at home to 4th placed Harrogate, kick off 2.15 in what should be an interesting game given WIRRAL ran them close earlier in the season at Harrogate.
Richard McNeil
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