Lymington (17) – (3) Winchester III – Match Report

Lymington Mariners 17 – 3 Winchester

They’re Grrrrr-Eight!

Lymington Mariners made it eight wins in a row with victory over Winchester in their Merit Table 2 clash on Saturday. Just like their previous encounter with them earlier in the season Winchester proved to be tough opposition for a Mariners side full of a confidence that comes with being undefeated at home since October.

Lymington took an early 5 point lead when flanker Nick Bubb, following his four try performance the previous week against Fareham, stole a loose ball from a Winchester scrum in their own 22 and powered over the line.

However despite the early score Lymington weren’t firing on all cylinders for the first half hour. This was possibly due to a delayed warm up because Nil Poi decided to turn up to open the changing rooms only once everyone else, including the opposition, had arrived.

As a result play was strewn with errors and it was a rare thing for the large supporting crowd to witness more than 2 or 3 phases of play before the referee had to blow her whistle.

The 5 point lead was soon reduced to just 2 after Winchester were awarded a penalty which their kicker duly converted.

Lymington, despite the errors, maintained enough pressure to keep Winchester away from their line. The backs gradually started to pull themselves together to keep the ball in hand and make a number of threatening runs. Pete Rolfe and Mikey Jenner both found time to get drilled into the Woodside turf by some strong Winchester tackling. Fortunately it was their heads that took the brunt of the contact and as both players have rarely been known to use them they were quickly back into the fray.

However it wasn’t until the forwards and backs finally clicked together that Lymington managed their second score of the afternoon. From a lineout Steve O’Callaghan at inside centre crashed through the gain-line, the forwards recycled quick ball for the backs to put it through the hands to Phil Jenner who reached the line with a defender wrapped around him. The opposition claimed he’d not grounded the ball but then they would wouldn’t they! The conversion was missed so the score stayed at 10-3.

Half-time came soon after and despite seven subs sitting in the wings eager to get on it was decided to give the starting 15 a chance to redeem themselves by having 10 minutes to show the crowd what they were really capable of.

From the restart Lymington showed their intention to run the ball more than they had in the first half. Vice-captain Joe Rodway made some telling breaks up field to get the momentum in Mariners’ favour. Within 5 minutes one of his long distance forays through the Winchester line took him all the way to the line for a try between the posts. Jamie Bolwell converted and the lead moved to 17-3 to the home side.

However Winchester weren’t going to lie down and from the restart pegged Lymington in their own half. Then from a penalty awarded to the visitors they decided to run the ball by giving it to their over-sized second row to charge at the Mariner line. No.8 John West, not waiting for the hit to come to him, charged at the galloping freak hitting him in the ribs like a freight train and forcing a knock-on. It was the last time Winchester were to get near the Lymington line.

Mariners then started to roll on their substitutes. First on was Lee Thomas who lasted all of 5 minutes as the dodgy guts he’d suffered from all week had drained the tank more than he realised and had him seeing stars after his first phase of play. He stayed on long enough to throw an intercepted pass before retiring to the safety of the touch-line. Then came Jason Bolwell who had only turned up in the second half to watch but due to an unfortunate injury to James Norris had to quickly borrow his kit to take to the field.

The next player substituted was Bruno Brods, a call made by skipper Cavell for hairless’s inability to not talk back to the referee. Nick Bubb slipped to scrum half and Charlie Cutler joined the back row. Captain Cavell’s padawan Anthony Hoyles then came on at hooker and immediately started throwing himself at the kneecaps of any marauding Winchester forwards.

Ben Rodway, Mark Etheridge, Craig Esterheuizen and James Bell all came off the bench to join the back-line but despite the re-arranging there was no loss of cohesion or the dominance Lymington were now showing over the visitors. Play rarely left Winchester’s half and when it did it was simply returned with interest. Steve O’Callaghan returned one kick by running through the middle of the park and in a scene evoking memories of ‘It’s a knock out’ bumped several defenders on their back sides including a massive bosh on the aforementioned Herman Munster.

Late in the second half Ben Rodway came within inches of the line when from a  quick penalty he made a storming run up the line. From the resulting  5 scrum Winchester moved the ball to their fly half who ran clear of his own try line only to be knocked straight back over it in a massive double hit by Mark Etheridge and Joe Rodway.

Despite the constant threats to the Winchester line Lymington were unable cross it again and the final score remained at 17-3. With only four league matches remaining the victory over third placed Winchester virtually guarantees Lymington’s second place in the table.

This week’s ‘Lymington Rivaaz Man of the Match Award’ goes to prop Stuart Harvey for another solid performance deploying the dark arts of the front row. It may not be obvious what he’s getting up to in there but everyone with a higher number on their shirt definitely reaps the benefits of his hard graft. It was a particularly fine effort this week as not only did he sustain a rib injury in the first scrum of the game but he also had to swap to loose head early in the second half.

Monsieur Dom Nil Poi Ellis managed another 80 minutes of fine second row play without getting anywhere near the try line.

Next week Lymington are away to Romsey for a friendly fixture. Any players, experienced or new to the game, young and fit or otherwise are all welcome to the club. For more details visit the website –

http://lymingtonmarinersrfc.wordpress.com/ or contact Lee Thomas on 07917 556 863 or at lee.thomas@skillsfundingagency.bis.gov.uk