STAND-IN skipper Nathan Beesley led the way for Lymm as they kept up the pressure at the top of the Regional One North West table on Saturday.

The winger, who is the division’s leading try-scorer, touched down for a hat-trick of tries to help his side to a 32-12 win at Wirral.

Cormac Nolan also contributed two tries and a conversion in an ultimately comfortable victory for the visitors, with Rhys Lilly also touching down for the Beechwood side.

A fourth successive victory and an eighth in nine league matches overall keeps them second in the table, two points behind leaders Blackburn.

“It’s never easy to get five points at Wirral – I think we might have only achieved maximum points here on two previous occasions,” director of rugby Fletcher said.

“The first half was scrappy but in the second half, our defence got on top which allowed us to control territory and the tempo of the game.

“There were some great performances on show but I was so happy to see Matty Hand back to his bulldozing best.”

Lymm’s next game sees them travel to Cheshire neighbours Macclesfield on Saturday

Team: Gavin Woods, James Pitcher, Matty Hand, Sam Dickenson, Joe Murphy, Joe Watson, Ed Morris, Rhys Lilly; Ben Simpson, Tom Shard; Paddy Jennings, James Kimber, Steve Pilkington, Nathan Beesley, Cormac Nolan. Subs: Ben Thompson, Matty Connelly, Scott Redfern

The seconds were not as successful in their own trip to face their Wirral counterparts as they lost 35-15, with Lymm’s tries coming courtesy of Joe Dowdeswell, Alfie Simpson and Nick Ashton.

The thirds had a much better time of it back at Beechwood, however, as they beat Macclesfield 35-23.

Tom Coghill, Rich McEvoy, Reece Forrest, Max Ure and Craig Capewell all crossed for tries, with Rhys Jones kicking four conversions to go with one from McEvoy.

Meanwhile, Warrington lost ground on the Counties One Lancashire and Cheshire’s leading sides at the weekend.

It is now back-to-back league defeats for Stuart Beeley’s side, who lost 25-8 at Aldwinians on Saturday.

They remain third in the table, three points behind leaders Liverpool St Helens ahead of a home game against Aspull at Stockton Lane on Saturday.

After the home side edged ahead via a penalty, Matty Hope missed a similar chance to level the scores before some lineout pressure from the visitors eventually came to nought.

Hope did land a long-range penalty to get Warrington the board, but the hosts restored their three-point lead almost immediately before scoring the game’s first try via an enterprising quick lineout towards the end of the first half.

Aldwinians scored another try before the break before being reduced to 14 men for a deliberate knock-on, but Warrington could not take advantage of their period with an extra player.

They spurned several opportunities to cross the whitewash before eventually doing so via back-rower Andy Kellett, whose fine individual score reduced the deficit to 10 points.

There was still 10 minutes remaining for Warrington to at least salvage a losing bonus point, but they were denied even that when Aldwinians scored a length-of-the-field effort to wrap up their win.