Pocklington 7 Lymm 42

A CLINICAL second-half display ensured their first ever visit to Pocklington was a fruitful one.

In the end, their bonus-point victory was enough to lift them into third place in the Northern Premier after previous occupants Hull could only manage a draw at Ilkley.

Adam Fletcher’s side also closed to within a point of second-placed Harrogate after they were beaten by runaway league leaders Preston Grasshoppers, who come to Crouchley Lane for Lymm’s next game on Saturday, March 24.

In the end, Lymm ran in six tries with six different scorers as James Kimber and Tom Bray crossed before the break.

Debutant Sam Fisher, Joe Denman, Ali Sutherland and Joe Watson scored in the second half, while Cormac Nolan converted all of Lymm’s tries.

It did not take long for Lymm to hit their stride and they edged ahead in the very first minute as Kimber’s powerful run ended with him crossing the line.

Bray got in on the act by crashing over from Olli Higginson’s offload to give the visitors a 14-0 lead after just 10 minutes.

Pocklington, the league’s bottom side, stuck to their task and they were rewarded with a converted try to narrow the gap to seven points at half time.

Straight from the restart, however, normal service was resumed as fly-half Scott Redfern orchestrated a move that sent Fisher over for a debut try.

Denman scampered between the posts to secure what could be a crucial bonus point as Lymm finally looked to have the game under control.

Pocklington remained persistent, but Lymm were now operating ruthlessly and another fine move ended with openside flanker Sutherland adding his name to the scoresheet.

With the weather closing in, the final word went to Watson as he crashed over from a five-yard lineout to give the scoreline some extra gloss.

Fletcher’s side now have five games remaining but, crucially, face the two sides above them in their next two matches.

After their hosting of Preston Grasshoppers, Lymm make a crucial trip over the Pennines to face Harrogate on April 7.

Lymm: Gav Woods, Adam Bray, Matty Hands, Joe Watson, Sam Mullarkey, Jake Ashall, Ali Sutherland, Olli Higginson; Andy Davies, Scott Redfern; Sam Fisher, Tom Bray, James Kimber, Joe Denman, Cormac Nolan. Subs: Aaron Rasheed, Matt Connelly, Jordan Widdrington.