Lymm 12 Ilkley 42

ENFORCED personnel changes before and during the game played a part in Lymm’s lack of cohesion as they fell heavily to in-form Ilkley.

The start of the North Premier clash, though, gave no indication of what was to come.

A kick fumbled by the Ilkley number eight left the ball falling into second-row Matty Connelly’s grateful arms and he dived over, with Scott Redfern converting.

Ilkley, four spots behind fourth-placed Lymm in the table, then applied constant pressure and by the 35th-minute mark had established a 35-7 lead.

They did to the home team what Lymm had been doing to other sides all season.

At the start of the second half back row Adam Bray scored wide out but it was not the spark of a comeback.

Ilkley’s desire to run the ball from deep resulted in the final converted score after 58 minutes.

All season Lymm’s defence has been outstanding, averaging only 11 points against them per game, but Ilkley did not read the script.

To compound matters scrum-half Andy Davies left the field with an ankle injury.

Lymm: Gav Woods, Rob Makin, Jordan Widdrington, Joe Watson, Matty Connelly, Jake Ashall, Adam Bray, Oli Higginson, Andy Davies, Scott Redfern, Ali Sutherland, James Robinson, Tom Bray, Joe Denham, Cormac Nolan. Replacements: Joe Murphy, Nick Ashton, Aaron Rashid.

Lymm u18 61 Wirral u18 10

LYMM’S senior colts hammered Wirral to reach the Cheshire Cup Final.

Nine tries were scored by eight different players.

Those to touch down were O Travis, two, A Kahn, W Buckley, J Kershaw, W Caldwell, C Nikou, J Sherlock and A Whitehead, with G Hughes adding eight conversions.

Lymm: H Stainton; W Buckley, E Vickery, O Travis, W Caldwell; G Hughes, H Boydell; C Nikou, J Kershaw, M Ure, A Khan, A Whitehead, J Sherlock, O Holmes, J Porteous. Replacement: C Nolan.