Lymm: It Means Everything
In a picturesque village in the heart of Cheshire, there is a small rugby club with big, big plans.
Lymm Rugby Club is the home club of England’s scrumhalf Alex Mitchell.
“I started at Lymm Rugby Club; I’ve got so many great memories there. I think I started when I was 5 or 6, and it was a fantastic time for me,” said Alex. From a six-year-old playing tag in the pouring rain, to a seventeen-year-old playing for Lymm U19s in the Cock o’ the North Cup Final, Alex is someone that the club are proud of and remember fondly.
Steve Downes, one of Alex’s former coaches, said: “He was the perkiest little character you’ll ever meet. All he wanted to do was have a rugby ball in his hands. He’d do all the training and drills but that was a necessary evil to allow him to get on that pitch.”
Andy Leach, club treasurer, agrees.
“I can remember the first game that Alex played for Lymm as a U7. He was three stone wet through, tag belt dragging on the floor, the ball looked massive in his hands and that day, I think he scored four or five tries. He was just like a bar of soap.”
A pathway for players
As well as senior three senior men’s teams and a mixed touch programme open to men, women, boys and girls, the club has an impressive set up for all their younger players.
Ian Cope, Head of Minis, said: “We have a very healthy programme here at Lymm. We have about 450 kids in the minis and juniors. We have an amazing volunteer force of 100 parent-coaches that have done all their badges supported by the RFU. On a Sunday morning at the club, it’s fantastic.”
The club are particularly focussed on keeping their age-grade players playing rugby.
“Through a charitable donation, we run an academy for all our colts and U16s. We put a lot of effort into making sure those guys get trained by first team players and ex-first team players and are involved with the first team so they can see a pathway. If you talk to them, many of them want to keep playing for Lymm,” said Will Hind, Mini and Junior Chairman.
An enduring legacy
Lymm is a club steeped in rugby history. Although the club wasn’t formed until the 1960s, there are reports of rugby being played on the Beechwood turf as far back as the 1870s and the club has plans in place to continue their legacy long into the future.
Plans for their multisport facility include a new clubhouse, an artificial grass pitch, four tennis courts, and planning permission for 19 houses on site. And the motive for the change is to set the club up for future.
Chairman, David Simpson said: “It’s a privilege to be able to work with Lymm and take it to the next stage. Hopefully, before I pack the job in, we’ll have something that will keep the club sustainable for the next 100 years.”
With former captains describing Lymm RFC as magnetic, a place where shared memories are held and a big part of their lives, anyone can see that this club is special to them.
As current colts player Sam puts it: “Everyone that’s a part of this club, down to the coaches, the parents, the players, from the youngest level right to the senior team, they’re all connected. We all want to be here, and we all know what it means to play for Lymm and be part of this squad.”
And for anyone on the outside, it’s clear that what it means to the people of this club is everything.
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