Rugby Report: Two wins for Lincoln as local clubs pay tribute to Jack Jeffery

Lincoln’s 1st and 3rd XVs both secured impressive wins on a weekend that saw clubs across England, including in Lincolnshire, pay tribute to Jack Jeffery who sadly died earlier this month.

Many rugby clubs in Lincolnshire observed a minute’s silence or applause before their matches, with several also retiring their number 11 shirts for the weekend in memory of Jack.

The Evesham Rugby Club player sadly died after being injured as he scored a try for his team against Berkswell & Balsall on February 12. His death has touched the whole rugby community and beyond, with Evesham Rugby Club saying they were “extremely humbled by the tributes and outpouring of support for Jack”.

Lincoln were among the many clubs in the county to pay tribute with a minute’s silence before kick-off of their Midlands Two East (North) match against Ashby on Saturday, while also retiring the number 11 shirt for the weekend.

Jake Keeton, Grant Cowe and Jack Noquet crossed for two tries apiece as Lincoln’s 1st XV claimed their third win on the bounce with an emphatic 56-0 home victory.

Lincoln’s man-of-the-match Ben Crowe, Cynyr Jones, and Josh White each scored one try for the hosts, while Louie Cooke celebrated his birthday by kicking four conversions and one penalty.

The result means Lincoln have scored 154 points in three league games, in which time they have only conceded 20.

Jack Randell scored two tries and produced a man-of-the-match display as Lincoln’s 3rd XV claimed a 33-24 home victory against a battling Gainsborough side.

Kieran Hawkes also grabbed a brace of tries for the hosts and James Willows-Chamberlin crossed for one, while Randell kicked four conversions.

Lee Copperwheat scored two tries for Gainsborough, with George Hutton and Andy Kelly each scoring one. Mark Ellis was named as Gainsborough’s man-of-the-match.

Full-back Morgan Jones scored six tries as Lincoln’s Under-13s won 50-20 away against a persistent Boston side in a game which was played in a fantastic spirit.

Kieron Fields crossed for two of Lincoln’s tries while Hugh Dixon and Tom Fletcher each scored one.

Sid Oversby scored two tries for Boston, with Angus Martin and Henry Lawman each scoring one.

The game between Lincoln Ladies and Sleaford Ladies was postponed on Sunday due to the weather and pitch conditions.

However, that didn’t dampen Sleaford’s spirits as they focused on giving Emily Decelles a farewell party to remember.

The popular centre joined Sleaford Ladies in 2019 and has proven to be an invaluable player for the team. She is now moving back to her native America to take up a position with the armed forces in Chicago.

The match between Kesteven Ladies and Peterborough was also postponed.

In the only game to go ahead in Women’s NC 2 Midlands (North East), tries from Sherrie Christian, Max Heeley, and Paige Heeley helped Boston Ladies to a 26-0 win against Deeping Devils Ladies.

Boston were also awarded a penalty try, while captain Hannah Booth kicked two conversions. Tash Champion, Lycia Elston, Lizzie Santos and Max Heeley picked up the post-match awards for Boston.

Deeping Devils battled hard and their post-match awards were won by Lynsey Fowler, Tyne Louise, Jo Burke, and Gemma Louise.

Gainsborough Ladies continued their development and claimed their first ever win with an impressive 43-5 victory against Grimsby Lynx Women.

Jazz Clarke crossed for a hat-trick of tries for Gainsborough, while Chelsea Palmer, Emily Willby, Lauren Ingram and Helen Jones each scored one. Jones also kicked four conversions.

Grimsby’s try was scored by Grace Ross and Gainsborough’s head coach Martin Roberts praised the opposition for travelling to play, in what he described as “a fantastic advert for ladies rugby”.

Other Results – Men’s Rugby

In the Midlands Premier, Josh Lugsden, Nick Dyson and Grant Elliott all scored tries as Scunthorpe bounced back to winning ways with a 19-8 victory away against Paviors.

Tom Alldridge kicked two conversions to complete a great afternoon for the North Lincolnshire club.

In Midlands Two East (North), Mike Starling produced a man-of-the-match performance as Market Rasen & Louth drew 0-0 at home against second-placed Melbourne.

Although it was a result not seen too often in rugby, the Lincolnshire side battled hard in a match which saw a waterlogged pitch change the dynamics of the game.

Market Rasen did have two good scoring opportunities, but were unfortunate to see both end in knock-ons over the line.

In Midlands Two East (South), Olney were awarded a home walkover after Stamford unfortunately had to concede the game due to not having enough players available.

In Midlands Three East (North), two tries from Lewis Rothenburg helped Grimsby to a 31-25 home victory against Nottingham Casuals in snowy conditions.

Mike Vankampen, Doug Clough, and Jess Matthews scored tries for Grimsby, with the latter also kicking three conversions.

Promotion-chasing Kesteven’s impressive eight-match winning run was ended after a 17-0 home defeat against league leaders Mellish.

Although the result saw Kesteven drop to third, they are only four points behind second-placed Birstall.

Boston’s match against Bakewell was re-arranged and will be played at a later date. However, their second team enjoyed an impressive 33-10 win at Spalding.

Club captain Luke Fowler, Rob Borley, Guy Spence, Jake Blanshard, and Tom Lovely all scored tries for Boston and Bruno Hall kicked four conversions.

Spalding’s tries were scored by Richard Cooke and Kev Hudson, while Charlie Goodwin put in a sterling shift on his first appearance in the front row.

In Midlands Three East (South), Sam Thornburn scored a try as second-placed Bourne battled hard in a 26-11 defeat away against Melton Mowbray.

Bourne’s remaining points came via the boot of Sam Evison who kicked two penalties.

It was a very tight encounter for Spalding who narrowly lost 3-0 at Bedford Queens.

In Midlands Four East (North), it was a fantastic weekend for North Hykeham as they scored five tries in a 47-24 home victory against Ollerton.

Hykeham’s tries were scored by Blaine Ford, Paul Bud, Liam Williams, Steve Fortune, and Ollie Clifton.

Man-of-the-match David Hill completed a fine afternoon for Hykeham by kicking five conversions and four penalties.

The match between Cleethorpes and Sleaford was abandoned after 47 minutes due to a waterlogged pitch and the adverse weather conditions. The game was abandoned with the score tied at 12-12.

Luke Thornton and Rob Brice crossed for tries for Cleethorpes, with Joe Barker kicking one conversion.

Glyn Bates and Aidan Smith scored the tries for Sleaford and captain Dan Mackie added one conversion.

In Midlands Four East (South), Stamford College Old Boys battled hard before succumbing to a 46-12 away defeat against in-form league leaders St Neots.

Sam Duncan scored a try for Stamford, who were also awarded with a penalty try following an infringement by the opposition.

Kelvin Squires, Luke Whitby and Kirk Green all scored tries as Deepings claimed a bonus point in a narrow 26-21 home defeat against Bedford Swifts.

Chris Owen kicked two conversions for Deepings, while Chris Barrett added one.