Following a poor performance on the road at King’s Macclesfield, last week; Woodhouse Grove hosted Lymm High School in their final match before the October half term break.
Lymm were unbeaten coming into the game; following a 32-24 win against Wilmslow, last time out.
On a crisp October morning, the home side started the better and were soon on the scoreboard. Outside Centre, Simon Hölm severed Lymm’s defensive line to finish a well-executed set piece. Bailey Worcester added the conversion and the hosts led 7-0 within ten minutes.
Woodhouse continued their dominance throughout the early stages. But when this pressure eased- Lymm did not require a second invitation. A move from the top of a line out saw Lymm cross to tie the game at 7 apiece.
Both sides continued to enjoy extended spells in possession but nether team could break the stalemate.
As the match moved towards half time, Woodhouse looked the more likely to take a halftime advantage. However, the solid Lymm defence continued to deny the green jerseys.
But there was to be a score before the halftime whistle. Karl Linderöth buried over the line following an initial break from Captain, George Styles. Worcester’s conversion give The Grove a seven point advantage at the half.
In the opening stages of the second half, Woodhouse were awarded a penalty and opted to kick for goal; however, Worcester could only hit the post with a kick that would have stretched the lead past one score.
Woodhouse were made to pay for their unforced errors as Lymm closed the gap to two points.
The visitors continued to press-looking to take the lead for the first time in the match. But The Grove responded well to the persistent onslaughts and kept the score at 14-12.
With the clock ticking down, the stage was set for a dramatic climax.
From an overthrown line out inside Woodhouse territory, The Grove’s fly-half, Bailey Worcester was first to recover the bouncing ball. Evading a sea of blue shirts, Worcester’s trademark jinking break was on. He outpaced the covering defenders before diving across the line to complete a wonderful solo move. Worcester was able to convert his own try to bring his points tally to eleven for the day but more importantly, extend The Grove’s lead past a converted try.
But back came Lymm. An error in midfield let the visitors back in to the match. An unconverted try ensured that there was to be a grandstand finish.
Leading by four points with under five minutes to play looked as if it could be a tough one for the youthful Grove side.
However, the home side forced an error from the visitors with little time remaining and cleared the ball off the field to clinch an excellent victory.
A match that may not have been of the highest quality- yet a spectacle that showed the potential that both sides posses going forward this season.
Lymm High School will face another Yorkshire-based school next Saturday as they host Crossley Heath in their final outing before half term. Woodhouse Grove will go in to their half term break looking to build on the positives from today’s success against a top side in this year’s competition. Up next for The Grove is Yarm School at home on November 8th.
By Gregory Newark
