Sandal 30 Lymm 28

LYMM slipped to their first defeat of the new National League Three North season as a last-minute try denied them victory at Sandal.

There was an element of controversy to the Yorkshiremen’s winning try, but Adam Fletcher’s side’s protests fell on deaf ears and they sacrifice their unbeaten run.

They came close to starting well, but a try-scoring pass was spilled and this led to Sandal seizing on the loose ball to score the game’s opening try.

Cormac Nolan kicked a penalty to narrow the gap to two points but the hosts took advantage of a poor Lymm lineout to grab their second try.

Another Nolan penalty made the score 10-6, but Dan Horton was sin-binned for tipping in the tackle and resulting kick extended Sandal’s lead to seven points.

Lymm got their first try just before the break when Tom Bray broke the line and handed on to Ollie Higginson, who stepped his way through the defence to score next to the postsbut Nolan somehow missed the conversion.

After the interval, the visitors took the lead for the first time when Sam Mullarkey stole a lineout ball and powered over the line.

However, from the restart, Nolan’s clearance kick was charged down and Sandal went through the hands for a 20-16 lead.

It was the beginning of a topsy-turvy period as Adam Bray crashed onto a short ball for a converted try to give Lymm the lead, only for a penalty to draw the hosts level with 20 minutes to play.

Back came Lymm again and Bray’s break led to the skipper feeding Chris Owens to score and give them a five-point lead, but from a scrum Sandal seized the ball and dived over to steal the points in the last minute.

Lymm return to Beechwood on Saturday as they take on Doncaster Phoenix, kick off 3pm.

Lymm: Dan Horton, Ross White, Jordan Widdrington, Joe McGrail, Will Baldwin, Sam Mullarkey, Adam Bray, Ollie Higginson; Tom Baker, Tom Bray; Cormac Nolan, Richard Halford, Joe Knowles, Chris Owens, Joe Denman. Subs: Mike Auden, Joe Watson, Mike Floyd.

Lymm 2nd 55 Vale of Lune 2nd 0

LYMM’S second team were dazzling in their dismissal of Vale of Lune on Saturday, with Toby Phillips running in a hat-trick.

Ollie Thornton bagged a brace while there was a try each for Mike Gough, Dave Williamson, George Bowden and Will Titherington, who added five conversions.

Lymm: Ollie Askew, Mike Gough, Nick Ashton, Henry Baldwin, Adam Halford, Matty Connolly, Jack Harper, Jake Ashall; George Boaden, Will Titherington; Ollie Thornton, Sam Gough, Dave Williamson, Luke Richards, Toby Philips. Subs: Darius Myksis, James Yates, Tom Derbyshire.