Lincoln first team trio James Kirk, captain Leigh Dearden and Sean Chapman. Photo: Joseph Verney
Will Scammell crossed for a last-minute try as Lincoln’s 1st XV claimed a 17-12 home victory over third-placed Long Eaton to all but end their opponent’s promotion hopes.
The result saw Lincoln move above Loughborough and into fifth in Midlands Two East (North).
Long Eaton came close to breaking the deadlock when their full-back made a great break through the defence, but Scammell produced a superb try-saving tackle to put him into touch.
Just look what the victory over Long Eaton means to Lincoln’s 1st XV captain Leigh Dearden. Photo: Joseph Verney
Lincoln opened the scoring shortly before the half hour mark when Sean Chapman raced down the wing. Prop David Beveridge reacted quickly to pick up the ball from a ruck soon after and go over for a try in the corner.
Long Eaton levelled the score when Jacob Wright managed to force his way over for an unconverted try despite the best efforts of Scammell.
Lincoln soaked up early pressure from Long Eaton in the second half and produced some great tackles to keep them out.
Lincoln leap to win a lineout against Long Eaton. Photo: Joseph Verney
Lincoln took the lead when man-of-the-match James Kirk, who was playing his last home league match for the club, shrugged off a tackle and made a great break.
The Malta international then produced a perfectly-timed offload to release Scammell, who ran in for a try. Richie Dixon slotted over the conversion.
Lincoln forwards Ben Sykes and Laguna ‘Pita’ Fisiihoi. Photo: Joseph Verney
Lincoln forward Ben Sykes was shown a yellow card and Long Eaton tried to take advantage of having an extra man. An excellent tackle from Grant Cowe halted one of their attacks before Long Eaton also saw a try disallowed.
The visitors levelled the score with a converted try five minutes from time but that wasn’t the end of the drama.
Lincoln’s 1st XV huddle together after the victory over Long Eaton. Photo: Joseph Verney
Sykes saw a late try disallowed before Lincoln sealed a dramatic victory in the final minute. Sykes made a great break through the defence before offloading to Laguna Fisiihoi. The Tongan forward made good yards before passing to Lewis Wilson, who tipped the ball across for Scammell to run in for the match-winning try.
After the match try hero Scammell said: “I am really satisfied to beat third in the league. It shows the quality we can deliver. We just need to do it more regularly.”
Lincoln Imps XV after their victory over Long Eaton. Photo: Brad Nixon
Euan Williams crossed for four tries as Lincoln Imps XV completed a league double over Long Eaton with a 78-10 victory.
Luke Brodrick and Tom Dowdy grabbed two tries apiece, while Euan Kelly, Matt Walker, Kodi Strand, Michael Tunnicliffe and Rob O’Donoghue also got their names on the scoresheet. Brodrick and Kelly added the conversions.
Luke Brodrick and Euan Williams were both among the try scorers for Lincoln Imps XV against Long Eaton. Photo: Joseph Verney
After the match Lincoln Imps XV captain James Johnson said: “From the first to the last minute we were in complete control with some excellent offloads aided by great support lines, which led to a lot of brilliant team and individual tries.”
Lincoln Ladies after winning their final league game of the season against Amber Valley. Photo: Katie Nesbitt
Lincoln Ladies crossed for their 50th try of the season as they finished third in the league with a 34-10 home victory over Amber Valley.
Captain Clare Brown and Rose Buchanan scored two tries apiece in the final league game of the season.
Lincoln Ladies captain Clare Brown crossing for a try against Amber Valley. Photo: Mike Lincoln
Lynne Brooker and Rose Buchanan celebrate a try for Lincoln Ladies. Photo: Katie Nesbitt
Bob Chapman and Lynne Brooker each scored one try and Helen Francis added two conversions.
Head coach Brian Kelly said: “I am really proud of the girls. I think they know we could’ve finished higher and if it wasn’t for a few slip ups earlier in the season we could’ve pushed (champions) Coalville more, but they should be really proud of themselves.”
Lincoln Ladies’ player Linda McLean running at the Amber Valley defence. Photo: Katie Nesbitt
Ruth Denham was named as Lincoln Ladies’ forward of the match against Amber Valley. Photo: Mike Lincoln
Lincoln’s 1st XV travel to face Loughborough on Saturday. The third team face a trip to Keyworth.
There is a home game at Longdales Park as a Lincoln old boys side takes on a touring team – Aylestone Athletic RFC (1pm kick-off).
Lincoln Ladies celebrating after winning their last league game of the season. Photo: Katie Nesbitt
Other results
Elsewhere in the county, leaders Scunthorpe won 24-17 at Bournville thanks to two tries from Jacob Hardy. Will Robinson and Grant Elliott each scored a try and Paul Cook added two conversions.
In Midlands Two East (North) Market Rasen & Louth lost 45-26 at Dronfield. Tom Stephens, Pete Southwell, Chris Everton and George Grant scored Market Rasen’s tries. Ben Youngs added two conversions and Southwell kicked one.
In Midlands Three East (South) Stamford continued their promotion push with a 39-21 victory at Stockwood Park. Rees Burns, George Nairn, Toby Anderson and Jack Jones were among the try scorers for Stamford. Bourne beat Queens 50-21.
Rob Bentley in action for Bourne during their win over Queens. Photo: Alan Hancock
Kesteven claimed a narrow 24-21 victory at Mansfield in Midlands Three East (North). Aaron Whittaker, Tom Miles, Olie Hanson and Ben Whinney scored Kesteven’s tries with the latter adding two conversions. Spalding beat Tupton 51-15.
Sleaford’s chances of moving off the bottom of the table took another hit after a 50-21 defeat at second-placed Ashfield. Adam Loveday, Leon Stobart and Dan Mackie scored Sleaford’s tries with the latter converting all three.
The promotion race is going down to the wire in Midlands Four East (North). Second-placed Grimsby are level on points with leaders East Retford after their 42-16 win at Gainsborough.
Lewis Cartwright scored a hat-trick of tries for Grimsby while Matt Pettiford, Kieron Dinnes and Evan Picking each grabbed one. Brad Treacher added three conversions and two penalties.
Fourth-placed Cleethorpes kept themselves in the promotion mix with a 33-12 win over Mellish. Alex Nabais crossed for two tries with Dan McDaid, Isaac Machon and Lawrence Gillen each scoring one. Harry Lightfoot added four conversions.
Rob Booth scored two tries for North Hykeham against Chesterfield Panthers. Photo: Faye Doyle-Thomas
Rob Booth crossed for two tries as North Hykeham suffered a frustrating 24-21 defeat at Chesterfield Panthers.
Booth also added three conversions while George Sheldon scored his first try for North Hykeham.
George Sheldon scoring his first try for North Hykeham to put the first points on the board. Photo: Faye Doyle-Thomas
Rob Booth crossing for a try during North Hykeham’s match at Chesterfield Panthers. Photo: Faye Doyle-Thomas
North Hykeham and Chesterfield held a minute’s silence to honour the memory of Mike Beard before the match.
North Hykeham and Chesterfield held a minute’s silence before their match in memory of Mike Beard. Photo: Faye Doyle-Thomas
Rikki Bovey crossed for two tries as Skegness lost 46-32 at Worksop. Captain Matthew Dean and Matthew Parvin also scored tries for the Lincolnshire side. Bovey kicked three conversions and two penalties.
Boston’s 1st XV were awarded a home walkover against Nottinghamians. Boston’s 2nd XV beat a University of Lincoln side 57-12 with Bruno Hall, John Hummel and Louis Williams each scoring two tries. George Sharp, Stephen Kippax and Bob Willis each scored a try with Hummel adding six conversions.
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The other five from the list, Mark Gibbins, Stephen Pickering, Abdul Bakhtar, Marius Dumitru and Kyle O’Conner, are still on the run from officers.
They have been joined by five new cases, for charges including knife possession, domestic assault and a sexual offence.
Andy Cox, detective chief superintendent of Lincolnshire Police, told The Lincolnite: “We maintain our relentless day and night 24/7 approach to locate our most wanted suspects.
“We recognise that every day these people remain at large is a day which leaves them able to commit more crime and impact on victims and more broadly the community.
“We ask the public who have information which may assist our efforts to share this information with us.
“We also encourage anybody who features on our most wanted list to immediately hand themselves in.”
The outstanding suspects are:
Mark Gibbins, 53
Mark Gibbins is wanted by police. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Mark Gibbins is still wanted by police in connection with a sexual offences inquiry in the Boston area in July.
Officers think he may be using different names and using homeless hostels to stay hidden.
Incident reference: 20000002978
Stephen Pickering, 45
Have you seen Stephen Pickering? | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Also known as Stephen Drury, Pickering is wanted for failing to appear in court in relation to drugs possession and traffic offences.
It is believed that Stephen could be in the Spalding area, but police have been unable to track him down for almost six months.
Incident reference: 20000391592
Abdul Bakhtar, 38
Abdul Bakhtar, 38, is wanted by police after an assault on Lincoln High Street. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Bakhtar is wanted in connection with an assault on Lincoln High Street, in which a man suffered serious injuries, on November 27.
Incident reference: 20000629395
Marius Dumitru, 23
Marius Dumitru, 23, is wanted for breaching bail. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
The 23-year-old is still on the run from officers and is wanted in connection with breaching bail offences.
Incident reference: 18000548488
Sebastian Joaoa (Lucas), 34
Sebastian Joaoa is wanted in Skegness. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Sebastian is wanted in connection with an assault in Skegness in December.
Incident reference: 20000635835
Dominykas Vaisvilla, 33
Dominykas Vaisvilla is wanted in Boston. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
The 33-year-old is wanted in connection with a sexual offence in the Boston area.
Incident reference: 2000364720
Idris Williams, 43
Have you seen Idris Williams, 43, in Gainsborough? | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Williams is wanted by officers after a domestic assault and criminal damage in Gainsborough.
Incident reference: 2000423885
Cameron Hoyle, 37
Cameron Hoyle is wanted for knife possession in Lincoln. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Police are on the lookout for Cameron Hoyle in connection with possession of a knife in Lincoln.
Incident reference: 21000032698
Hamza El Haddad (Milo), 24
Have you seen Hamza El Haddad? | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Wanted for breaching bail conditions which relate to possession of Class B drugs.
Incident reference: 20000686888
Kyle O’Conner, 28
Kyle O’Connor, 28, wanted in Grantham. | Photo: Lincolnshire Police
Kyle, the fifth person to reappear on the list, is wanted in connection with a theft offence from December.
Incident reference: 20000687536
If you know the whereabouts of any of these men, officers are urging you to contact them by calling 101 or emailing [email protected], quoting the relevant incident number.
With literally hundreds of restaurants offering takeaway in Lincoln, it can always be difficult to find the ideal place for a tasty meal delivered to your door during lockdown.
Pizza or burger? Chinese or Indian? McDonalds or KFC? These are the questions we all so often ask when pondering what to eat during an evening.
The Lincolnite has done the research for you, looking at food delivery services in the area to find out where customers enjoy ordering from the most in the city, based on reviews and ratings across Deliveroo, Uber Eats, Just Eat and Facebook.
Here are some of the top rated restaurants in Lincoln, in no particular order.
Cafe Shanti
One of Cafe Shanti’s many great options on the menu. | Photo: Cafe Shanti
Lincoln’s only vegan restaurant is in a league of its own on Uber Eats, as it is the only business in the city to have a maximum 5/5 rating from customers.
76 people have left a review on the Nepalese restaurant’s Uber Eats page, with perfect scores all round, and it also scored 4.5/5 from 321 Trip Advisor reviews.
As for hygiene, Cafe Shanti was last inspected on January 14, 2020, and scored a perfect five out of five for the third consecutive inspection.
Wagamama
Wagamama’s Chicken Katsu Curry.
Undeniably one of Lincoln’s most beloved eateries, Wagamama has proven to be a hit both for eat-in and takeaway since it arrived on Brayford Wharf North.
The restaurant, known for delicious Asian cuisine, has ranked as the co-leader for Deliveroo ratings, scoring 4.5/5 from over 500 customer reviews and their Katsu Chicken has been one of the most ordered items in the city.
As well as this, it has a solid 4/5 rating from 583 reviews on Trip Advisor, and three consecutive five star hygiene ratings.
Spielburger
Spielburger has seen great success since it launched. | Photo: Everyman Cinema Lincoln
Joining Wagamama on a near perfect Deliveroo score is Spielburger, from Everyman Cinema on Lincoln’s Cornhill Quarter.
Spielburger has a total score of 4.5 from over 500 Deliveroo reviews thanks to its American style cuisine, even if the price is a bit steeper than other competitors.
It also has another 4.5 rating, this time from 50 Restaurant Near Me reviews, plus a five star hygiene rating from its debut inspection in October 2020.
Burton Road Chippy
World famous fish and chips in Lincoln. | Photo: Burton Road Chippy
A much hailed and respected fish and chip shop, Burton Road Chippy is widely recognised as one of the best chip shops in the whole country.
It was forced to close due to coronavirus in 2020 but reopened with a click and collect service at a new location on Burton Road, though it hasn’t affected their rating much – scoring 4.5/5 from almost 450 Trip Advisor reviews.
As well as this, it has another 4.5/5 on Deliveroo, this time from over 500 customer ratings, and a maximum 5/5 for hygiene from a November 2020 inspection.
Tatiana’s Cake
The options are plentiful at Tatiana’s Cake.
Labelling itself as a brunch restaurant, Tatiana’s Cake on Carholme Road offers a variety of breakfast and lunch meals at a great price.
Not only does it have a huge 5.5/6 rating on JustEat from 472 reviews, it also has 4.5/5 on Deliveroo from over 500 customer scores.
Despite trading under previous names for the last three hygiene inspections, one thing has remained constant, a maximum five star score.
Bistro Polonia
Tasty European cuisine at Bistro Polonia.
Eastern European restaurant Bistro Polonia has the best of both worlds, with fast food options complimenting special gourmet recipes on their menu.
On Just Eat, it has a 5.5/6 rating from a total of 369 reviews, and it scored 4.5/5 on Trip Advisor as well, clearly striking a chord with the majority of customers.
A hygiene inspection from July 2018 shows Bistro Polonia to score five stars, an increase from three stars from 2017.
Wildwood
One of Wildwood’s famously delicious pizzas. | Photo: Wildwood Lincoln
The Italian restaurant that tells you to “look no further”, Wildwood has received rave reviews ever since it opened in Lincoln back in 2016.
It has an impressive 5.5/6 on Just Eat from 45 reviews, as well as a 4.4/5 on Deliveroo from over 500 ratings,
Wildwood has a perfect record in hygiene inspections, scoring five out of five both times it has been examined by health inspectors.
Ocean Palace Restaurant / China Garden
A tantalising seafood platter. | Photo: Ocean Palace Restaurant
The place that appears to be Lincoln’s favourite Chinese restaurant, Ocean Palace on the High Street has stellar reviews across the board.
It recovered from a poor hygiene rating in January 2018 when called Man-Ho House, and has since scored five stars in November 2018.
Ocean Palace Restaurant also has 5/6 from 118 Just Eat reviews and 4.5/5 from 305 Deliveroo reviews.
Three times as many Lincolnshire businesses fear future COVID lockdown measures more than the impact of Brexit, according to new research by a local law firm.
Lincoln-based Langleys Solicitors conducted the research of 250 UK business owners and directors for its ‘Back to Business’ report that will be published this month.
With the nation currently in lockdown due to coronavirus, survey participants were asked to score a variety of business challenges from one to 10 (lowest to highest concern).
Business in Lincolnshire scored the future threat of pandemic measures at 7.2 out of 10 compared to 6.9 for Brexit.
Concern for future pandemic restrictions was scored 10 by twice as many business owners and directors than Brexit – 18.2% compared to 9.1% – despite support measures such as the extended furlough scheme.
Senior leaders felt that the coronavirus crisis presented a bigger task in the next five years of business than increased regulation (6.6), the challenge of exporting (5.9) and increased competition (6.2).
Some 64% of respondents in Lincolnshire said that a prolonged second and third wave, and subsequent lockdown, is a larger risk to their businesses than Brexit in the next 12 months.
Some 41% of the survey respondents in the area are considering redundancies, while 27% now have fewer staff than pre-lockdown.
The research also found that 55% of businesses in the area have experienced decreased customer demand due to coronavirus and lockdown restrictions.
It is therefore unsurprisingly to see that 68% of businesses in the county have had to change their business model as a result of the pandemic and lockdown restrictions. This is higher than the national average of 58%.
Nationally, 20% of businesses reported future pandemic measures as their biggest challenge rather than 7% who said Brexit.
Tim Cross, managing partner at Langleys Solicitors said: “Brexit and coronavirus made 2020 a very difficult year for businesses and their owners and, as lockdowns continue to tighten, businesses under tier 3 and 4 regulations could be facing their worst fears once again.
“Business owners and leaders in Lincolnshire have reported disproportional troubles, with more businesses in the area facing decreased customer demands and business models changes than the national average.
“Sadly, 41% of our survey respondents in the area are considering redundancies and the news of a new virus strain and the introduction of stricter tiered measures are likely to turn these considerations into difficult decisions for business owners.”