The seconds achieved their first league double of the campaign to move up a place in the table, they also passed another milestone because for the first time they failed to concede a try.
It was a deserved victory on their travels and followed a well balanced team performance and even taking into account a number of injuries and some players out of their normal comfort zones, it was a most satisfying achievement.
The morning and early afternoon rain had swept its merry way northwards leaving the playing surface at Beechwood in good condition and the Vale had the advantage of playing up the slope with the wind at their backs.
Lymm opened the scoring on the tenth minute but Alex Briggs levelled the scores seven minutes later after missing with an earlier attempt.
In the twentieth minute the Vale poached a try from under the very noses of the home side. Alex Briggs launched a huge kick downfield which Lymm’s full back appeared to ground in the dead ball area but Alex Briggs also appeared on the scene to dab the ball down for an unconverted try. Certainly this score provoked some debate on the touch line and took the mind of what to get Aunt Fanny for Christmas.
It took a while for a shell shocked Lymm to settle but in the thirty fifth minute they added a second penalty. Just before half time the Vale increased their lead with a try from Ethan Robertson after the forwards had blasted their way through Lymm’s defence with little ceremony, Alex Briggs added the conversion.
Overall it had been a most productive half for the Vale but a number of the scoring opportunities that had been created were lost when possession was kicked away or passes went to ground.
Lymm’s final penalty was kicked in the fifty third minute but Vale’s hard working, powerful pack had the last word when following a vigorous thrust Joe Stevens picked and drove his way over for an unconverted try.
Lymm pressed for a score in the closing stages but Vale’s defence remained rock solid under pressure and calmly dealt with all Lymm’s attempts to break through.
Vale’s back row of Luke Bell, Bobby Holdbrook and Fraser Spavin, before illness forced him out of the action, were outstanding, there was the usual robust performances from Jason Waterhouse, Joe Stevens, Dan Rainford and the irrepressible Petar Alexov in the engine room.
In the backs Jordan Fern quickly adapted to his new role at scrum half, Ethan Robertson was alert to any opportunity to attack, while his tackling was of the highest order throughout, with Ryan Fawcett again making a valuable contribution in a victory that reflected the efforts of a determined squad whose aim is to finish the year on a high at home against Macclesfield on Saturday.
Many thanks to Reg Robinson for his detailed report.