GRIMSBY 1ST XV 18
LINCOLN 1ST XV 22
LINCOLNSHIRE COUNTY CUP NORTHERN SEMI-FINAL
BY JOSEPH VERNEY
PHOTO CREDIT: JO MOORE & MICHAEL STRINGER
A late try from Lincoln’s new captain Matt Keeton saw them progress through to the Lincolnshire Cup North Final with a narrow 22-18 victory away against a gutsy Grimsby side.
Cynyr Jones and Jack Randell each scored one for Lincoln who were also awarded a penalty try.
Ash Rendall-Tyrrell and Evan Picking both scored tries for Grimsby and Jess Matthews kicked two penalties and a conversion. Captain Chris Moore, Will Stowe, Picking, Matthews and Rendall-Tyrrell were among the strongest performers for the hosts.
Lincoln started brightly and took just a few minutes to open the scoring. After good possession on the Grimsby 10 metre line, Lincoln pushed them back in the scrum, and won a maul, before going wide right to set up winger Jones for a try to the right of the posts.
The visitors were then penalised for a high tackle and Matthews slotted over a penalty to reduce the deficit to just two points.
Lincoln Head Coach Brian Kelly had talked pre-match about not letting Grimsby Number Eight Luke Chaplin pick, with Rendall-Tyrrell following. Unfortunately for Lincoln this happened from 30 metres out and led to a well-worked try for the Grimsby flanker, which Matthews converted.
After three scrum penalties, and being given a team warning, Grimsby conceded a fourth, which led to a yellow card for James Turgoose and a penalty try for Lincoln. It meant that Lincoln took a narrow 12-10 lead in at the break.
In the early stages of the second half Grimsby lost another prop to a yellow card - Pete Shaw - after four consecutive scrum penalties against the hosts.
Lincoln also saw a player sent to the sin bin when debutant Alex Robertson was penalised for what was deemed to be an intentional knock down going through on the scrum-half at a lineout.
With Grimsby down to 13 players it went to uncontested scrums and the hosts soon snatched the lead back.
From a scrum they got the ball on the right-hand side on the 22. The ball came out the back of a ruck and was picked up by Picking, who went blind and ran in for a try in the right-hand corner.
Lincoln went back in front after a break from a maul saw the ball go wide right between the 22 and Grimsby’s 10 metre line. Randell ran down the wing and beat two defenders to score a try in the corner.
From the restart, Lincoln made a mistake and after being vocal to the referee they were marched back 10 metres and conceded a penalty. Matthews successfully slotted over the penalty to give Grimsby a narrow one-point lead going into the final minutes of the match.
After finally getting some phase play, and attacking from their own 22 and into Grimsby’s five metre line, Lincoln piled on the pressure. Scrum-half Richie Dixon popped the ball back inside for Keeton to go over for a dramatic match-winning try.
POST MATCH COMMENTS
After the match Lincoln Head Coach Brian Kelly said: “We started really brightly and ran in a try in the first two minutes. Unfortunately, the weather conditions, an early injury to Josh White and some really dogged defence by Grimsby meant we never got going after that.
“We dropped off too many tackles and made too many handling mistakes to ever be able to impose ourselves, and Grimsby always looked dangerous in the forwards.
“We had scrum dominance, but it wasn’t until the last 10 minutes that we actually played like we know we can for a prolonged period.
“With five second team players stepping up it was good to see the team determined to compete to the very end in a game that could have gone either way right up to the last minute.”
He added that Matt Keeton was “brilliant” in his first full game as captain since taking over from former skipper Lewis Wilson.
Keeton said: “The game was scrappy. We were scrum dominant, but we never really got into playing our structure.
“The lads dogged out the win in rubbish weather conditions. Also a well done to the lads that stepped up into the first team.”
Tom England, who is the Head Coach of Grimsby with Chris Garstin, said: “Congratulations to Lincoln. I think it was a very good game. The weather conditions made it hard for both teams.
“Obviously Lincoln have a good strong pack. We had a number of replacements in the front row and the lads stuck at it til the very end, leading up until the last couple of minutes.
“I couldn’t be prouder of the boys to where we have become as a team, as a club. We’ve got players coming in left, right, and centre from the colts and from the younger ages stepping up into senior rugby which is great to see.
“For a grassroots club like us, it’s hard sometimes to field players but we do our very best week in, week out, and this weekend we put two teams out, so thank you everyone for supporting Grimsby Rugby Club and hopefully we’ll get into these cup finals in the future.”
Chris Moore, who captained the side in the absence of Mike Porter, said: “Immensely proud of the boys. I thought from 1 to 18 everybody performed to the highest level I’ve seen all season. Young lads stepped up again and it’s great for the future of the club.
“As captain on the day all I could’ve asked for was fight and we got that. The scrum did not go to plan, but with a front row that’s not played at all together this season, I thought they held on well.
“We were unlucky not to get the win in the end, but that didn’t stop us leaving the pitch with our heads held high.”
