MMU 6-34 Lancaster
The Lancaster Lynx rugby league team have extended their impressive winning streak to three wins in a row with a hard fought victory at MMU Cheshire in an ugly game of rugby.
A hat-trick of tries from Adam King and tries from Max Brown, Danny Myers and Adam Lacey, sealed victory for the travelling side who went on to win 34-6 in a stop-start game due to a severely strict referee.
It was clear from the off that this game was going to be like no other the Lynx had ever experienced before. The travelling side found themselves caught offside multiple times in the opening stages with play becoming bogged down to a series of penalties.
Some comfort came when Adam King crossed over for the first Lynx try in the seventh minute. An unstoppable run by captain Max Brown saw him power his way through the MMU line only to offload to King for the try.
King’s second try came shortly after. A fantastic break down the left wing by Ben Robertshaw on the last tackle saw the centre get a kick away up field under pressure from the MMU defence. King’s keen eye tracked the kick and he managed to pounce on the ball for his second try of the match. Robertshaw converted the kick for a 12-0 lead with eleven minutes gone.
Despite gaining the early lead the Lynx could be far from content with their performance, as an ever increasing penalty count was costing them chance after chance. The referee, whose decisions were dubious to say the least, seemed to be governing the game with the mentality of a rugby union referee, meaning the flow of the game was severely restricted with the offside rule being ruthlessly enforced.
Overwhelming frustration at how the game was being played, accumulated in the Lynx’s first yellow card of the match when Paul Davies was sent to the bin with twenty minutes gone after a clash with the referee. The fact that the ref had referred to the scrum half as the fly half certainly did not help matters.
Lynx’s obvious advantage accumulated in their third try on the half an hour mark when Adam King touched down for his hat-trick. Goal kicker Ben Robertshaw, who converted the kick for the two points, almost scored a try of his own until he ran out of steam after a great break down the left flank.
The half finished 18-0 with the Lynx in the driving seat but with the opportunity for a come back still very much alive. The presence of the big MMU runners forced some desperate tackles from the travelling side in the first half and at times, one could only feel that the Lynx were facing fourteen men because of the decisions of a ruthless referee.
Reports of foul play on the part of MMU marred the opening on the second half with Lynx substitutes claiming they had been the subject of eye gouging or had been bitten. The referee seemed to turn a blind eye to these occurrences yet continued his aggressive campaign against the Lynx with his offside rulings.
A try from Captain Max Brown in the 55th minute epitomized Lynx defiance to the conditions of the game. A good run from Danny Myers found Brown on his inside to bring the score to 22-0 with Robertshaw hitting the post with his conversion attempt.
Two minutes later, Lynx saw themselves punished with their second yellow card of the match; Adam Lacey found himself sent to the bin after an alleged dangerous and late tackle. The referee did not stop there, sending hat-trick hero Adam King to the bin shortly after for a deliberate knock-on.
With just eleven men left on the pitch, the Lynx saw themselves subjected to some serious pressure by MMU. MMU’s first chance to score was held up on the line, yet an alleged Lynx knock on saw MMU nip in for their only score of the game.
With Adam Lacey back on the pitch, Lynx looked to have scored their fifth try. Lacey broke through a gap in the MMU line with Ben Robertshaw in support who touched down for the try. Unfortunately, in what was without doubt the most horrendous decision made by the referee in the whole game, he deemed it to be forward.
Two tries in the closing stages of the game from Danny Myers and Adam Lacey sealed victory for the Lynx and brought the full-time score to 34-6.
Vice captain Gareth Houghton had this to say after the game; “I’m proud of the lads, they have come up against a determined team and an even more determined referee. It seemed as though (considering our recent results), the official today had the intent to prevent another Lancaster domination.
“But we stuck to our game plan and got the job done, we are going to work hard in training this week and concentrate on the biggest game of the season next week. This game might not have been one for the scrapbooks, but if we can win games like this then we can put together a strong league campaign and hopefully push on and win the league.”
The Lynx’s next game sees them take on Manchester seconds at home. With only points difference separating the two teams, Wednesday’s game is looking to be must win for the Lynx.
