Injuries take toll on seconds in Lymm loss
ROSSENDALE Second team travelled south into the Cheshire Countryside on Saturday to face Lymm in the return Cotton Traders Premier League fixture.
It was a game that most were looking forward to with eager anticipation after a close run affair earlier in the season at Marl Pits. Unfortunately though Dale were hit with a number of enforced omissions from their original squad and with some late cry offs had to travel with only 14 players.
To make matters worse for Dale Lymm were very much up for it and had a very good side out.
Lymm quickly established an early lead but Dale clawed one back before the break to give them some hope.
It was a wonderful worked move between Kane Bevan and several other Rossendale backs before Bevan took the ball back in a supportive role and out paced several defenders over the last 22 metres. Tom Wareing added the conversion.
The try was just rewards for Dale riding a lot of Lymm pressure but rather than buckling giving as much back as what they where receiving. Testament to what this group of players have been doing all season and great credit to them for it.
Lymm recorded an additional score before half time to thwart the come back but passion was still riding high.
Into the second half and Lymm added more points to their tally that took some of the edge from the game. The Rossendale team didn’t wave the white flag but instead responded by taking the attack back to Lymm and when Robbie Willetts wrong footed several defenders to score under the sticks and Tom Wareing added the extras tails where back up and raring to go again.
Unfortunately it was a numbers game again, Lymm having the edge in that made the extra man count.
Dale also lost a further player to injury and that was just about that for the day.
Lymm coasted several further tries to rub salt into the wounds despite all the lads efforts but it had become a forlorn affair by that time.
A final score of 78-14 wasn’t justified by the effort put in by all who wore the Stags jersey that day.