LANCASTER 2nd XV 77
CHESTER 3
Tries: Blackmore, Lemon 3, Wiki 2, Vaughan-Fowler, Tracey 2, Seymour, Lewis, Ekweremadu, Wilson
Conversions: Lewis 3, Williams 3
Lancaster’s 2nd XV carried on their run of form with a resounding thirteen try rout against Chester. The visitors were hard pressed from kick off, with Chris Wiki scoring in the opening minutes with a charge down try underneath the posts, and with the successful conversion by fly half Toby Williams, Lancaster looked to be off to a good start.
The next score came from a fantastic break up field from blindside flanker Matt Wilson, whose barrelling run allowed the Lancaster backs to fire past the broken defence of Chester. The resulting try was scored by experienced hooker William Blackmore, and it wasn’t long before wingers Fowler and Lemon added to the tally, Lemon’s score coming from a fantastic individual effort down the left wing. Shortly after, Wiki scythed through the defence yet again on his way to his second score of the half.
Alongside from the rampant running rugby on display, Lancaster excelled in open play, their forwards displaying versatility and determination at every challenge. Chester appeared to be flustered by conceding so heavily so early in the game, and their passing became sporadic and inaccurate. This played wonderfully into the hands of the Lancaster backrow, whose constant ball pilfering and disruption of play was a testament to the darker arts of the backrow forward. It was this attitude that led to Wilson crossing for a well deserved try, followed swiftly by fullback Seymour and substitute Tracey. This rounded up the first half, with Lancaster going into the break with a 44-0 lead.
The second half saw Chester finally get themselves on the scoreboard with a penalty conversion, but it did little to stem the tide of Red Rose players, who were now treating the affair as a training exercise. It is easy for teams with such an advantage to implode through over complication and outright arrogance, but the Cat’s showed no such inclination, with Wiki, Captain Ollie Lewis, and Tracey all going over for further scores in quick succession. The final flourishes came from replacement Ike Ekweremadu and a final try for winger Lemon, rounding up a hat trick for him.
Lancaster were sublime throughout, the lack of handling errors testament to the training and skill that is present in this current crop of players. Captain Lewis was full of praise, but keen to look forward to the future. “It was great result, and is definitely the stepping stone needed to welcome the game next week, against the top of the league team, Edge Hill. The players cannot wait to carry on where they had left off.”
Such a solid team performance made it difficult to pick one individual who stood out. Centre Chris Wiki’s running lines were impressive, and huge credit must go to Lewis and flyhalf Williams, who directed the backline with effectiveness and precision. The finishing of Josh Lemon on wing was impressive, but all credit must go to the Lancaster backrow, especially blindside flanker Wilson, whose numerous carries and yardage gained were worthy of a Man of the Match performance.
