Sheffield 18 Lymm 14

LYMM'S challenge after successive carbon-copy defeats to promoted teams appears to be imposing themselves on the middle period of a game.

Just like in the home loss to Ilkley a week earlier, they started brightly at Sheffield on Saturday with fine running rugby leading to points but then were unable to reassert themselves until late on.

After leading 7-0 courtesy of an Adam Bray converted try, 18 points were conceded before a Richard McEvoy response came too late to impact on the outcome.

Two losses from three games leaves Adam Fletcher's boys ninth in National League Three North prior to this Saturday's visit by bottom team Cleckheaton, who are yet to taste victory.

Debutant fly half Oli Lancaster looked a positive addition to the squad, directing play well.

He soon combined with Bray and McEvoy to take advantage of an overlap which Bray completed, with Cormac Nolan knocking over the touchline conversion.

Lymm then gave away too many penalties at the ruck, allowing Sheffield a foothold.

Two penalty successes cut the deficit to one point, while a Nolan effort from 45 metres out fell short.

Unrelenting pressure from Sheffield after the break led to Tom Bray being sin-binned and Lymm conceding a second try, though numerous missed kicks for goal kept the gap at four points.

Sheffield went through four mini rucks and dived over to take the lead with an unconverted try 11-7.

Then Sheffield simply but effectively kicked behind the Lymm defence for the decisive try from their pacy fly half.

Late on, after getting back to what Lymm do best, Joe Knowles and Tom Bray broke away for McEvoy to finish strongly and Nolan converted but Lymm had to console themselves with a losing bonus point.

Lymm: Jordan Widdrington, Ross White, Nick Ashton, Alex Kaihau, Zak Lythgoe, Joe McGrail, Jake Ashall, Adam Bray, Tom Shard, Oli Lancaster, Cormac Nolan, Oli Higginson, Tom Bray, Richard McEvoy, Joe Knowles. Subs: Dan Horton, Will Baldwin, Richard Halford.