Ashley Partridge

Lindum Cricket Club’s (LCC) under 15’s are on the verge of making an English record by winning the national championships two years in a row.

The team, sponsored by McKinnells Solicitors, will travel to Kibworth on Wednesday to take part in the finals of this year’s ECB Under 15 Clubs Championship.

They will face off against Old Northamptonians, while Bath will take on Hampshire’s Hambledon Cricket Club. The two winners will then meet to decide who takes home the trophy.

In 2011, LCC acted out a true underdog story by beating Essex-based Woodford Wells to become national champions.

It was unexpected, as Lincolnshire does not have the same cricketing legacy as big players like Lancashire and it was the first time they had ever made the finals. Coach John Alford called his squad “the shining light” of the county’s cricket teams.

He added: “We are confident we can do well but in the Twenty20 format, you are one 10 minute spell away from turning and excellent game into a losing game.”

Seven members of the current squad were part of the team that triumphed in 2011. Will Wright is the captain and starting batsman. He understands the pressures that come with being the leader but is prepared.

He said: “It’s very exciting to lead such a fantastic bunch of lads into the national final. We played Old Northamptonian’s a couple of years ago and we beat them pretty comprehensively but they could have changed.”

This will be the last of the current LCC line-up plays together. The Under 15’s competition is the top national youth championship. However, there is nothing stopping them from taking this further. Wicket keeper Adam Lilley is confident about his future and said: “In ten year’s time, I’d like to be playing for England.”

His dad, Daz, is LCC’s assistant coach and called the boys a “close-knit group”. He noted that the rest of the nation’s cricket teams had seen last year’s massive achievement and they are no-longer the underdogs.

“They’re reigning champions, looking to keep hold of the trophy and everyone’s looking to shoot you down. The lads have handled the pressure and, without being too optimistic, I think [the trophy] will be coming back home.”

17-year-olds Shona Rawlins and Douglas Sleeman did well in their first year

Students across Lincolnshire collected their A-level results on Thursday morning.

The Lincolnite will bring you the A-level results for Lincolnshire later today, when the figures for the county are collected.

National figures have already been released and show 6.6% of A-level entries achieved the top two grades – down from 27% last year.

In the city, hundreds of young people went to Lincoln College to find out if their hard work paid off. The Lincolnite captured the moment when they tore open the envelope and discovered their grades.

Louis Marsden-Walters, 18, was one of the high achievers. Having taken 5 A-levels, he came out with an A* in Maths, A in Further Maths, A in Geography, B in Physics and B in Chemistry.

Louis Marsden-Walters, 18, scored high grades

He plans to go to the university of East Anglia to study Natural Science and wants to do a PhD, studying volcanoes. He said: “I couldn’t see myself as anything other than an academic or going to university in any other way than A-levels.

“I’m glad I came to college, as it helped me develop as a person.”

Younger students were also at the college, collecting their As grades. Shona Rawlins and Douglas Sleeman, both 17, celebrated their first year of success together. She achieved an A in English Literature, with Bs in English Language and Critical Thinking.

“I want to go to university and then teach English at secondary or college level. They’re the ones who really want to learn,” she said.

Douglas scored B grades in Psychology and Human Biology, along with a distinction in Sports Science. He plans to finish his second year and join the Royal Marines.