Despite a fierce crosswind this was a fast open game in which the result remained in the balance right to the end. Victory could have gone either way. Sadly for Beverley RUFC it did not go theirs and come the end of the season this narrow defeat could prove to have been crucial if they narrowly fail in their battle against relegation. If so it would be a pity. After half an hour here they were leading 15-5, were in total control up front, playing well and looked to be heading for a comfortable victory. That it all went wrong in the second half was almost entirely their own doing.
The return of Gavin Gibson, Craig Hancock and now Fraley Hopa has brought a much more muscular look to the pack than we have seen for a long time. And it very quickly began to show. The Beverley RUFC forwards started superbly and were soon dominating the forward exchanges.
Beverley RUFC did get off to an uncomfortable start when they allowed the kick-off to bounce straight into touch and were pinned in their own 22 for five minutes but as a soon as they broke clear they took the lead. From a scrum thirty metres out the ball was moved wide to Rob Smith on the right wing who went over in the corner for the game’s opening try.
Both sides were playing with verve and ambition despite the conditions but as the game progressed Beverley RUFC looked to be steadily getting the upper hand. Unfortunately old habits die hard. Yet again the Beverley RUFC lineout was a shambles. When they threw short Beverley RUFC took the ball cleanly but mostly they persisted with long throws which was particularly foolhardy in the strong wind and invariably got them nowhere. Twice the ball completely cleared the line-out and was seized on by the Lymm backs. The second time it led to Lymm surging up to the Beverley RUFC line and moving the ball across field for winger Jack Johnston to cross for an equalising try.
The loss of David Worrall with a leg injury was a severe blow for Beverley RUFC but his replacement Tom Moody happily made an immediate impact. From a scrappy lineout thirty metres out Moody burst away and outpaced the defence to touch down and restore Beverley RUFC’s lead. Phil Duboulay’s conversion took them to 12-5 and two minutes later he added a penalty when Lymm were penalised for a deliberate knock-on. Ten points clear Beverley RUFC looked to be heading for victory. They were comfortably in charge, and playing some good stuff in the process.
Then it all started to go wrong. On thirty eight minutes Lymm struck back with a try by second row Alex Bennett who forced his way over following a lineout near the Beverley RUFC line and two minutes into the second half they scored again when flanker Jake Ashall broke from a maul five metres out to touch down. Matthew Barnes-Smith added the conversion and Beverley RUFC from being well on top suddenly found themselves 17-15 behind. They were still in the game until the end but their play became increasingly ragged with an air of desperation about it.
Not that Lymm particularly upped their own game. They merely retained their composure, kept it simple, and passed and kicked better. Barnes-Smith added a penalty which took the score to 20-15 but with only one try separating the teams Beverley RUFC were still in it. They had their chances to snatch victory mainly through some nice breaks by Junior Tupai and Sam Atiola but nothing came of them usually through sloppy passing or basic errors. Lymm are a nicely balanced side and are deservedly riding high in the league but they will probably feel this victory owed almost as much to their opponents’ surprising collapse of composure as to their own endeavours.
Still, at least for Beverley RUFC a losing bonus point was something.
Reported by John Nursey | Final Score Lymm 20 Beverley RUFC 15
