LINCOLN 3RD XV 24
LINCOLNSHIRE POLICE XV 0
BY CHARLIE WOODBRIDGE
PHOTO CREDIT: TONY CLAYTON
Lincoln's 3rd XV hosted Lincolnshire Police in a wet, windy and energy sapping friendly fixture at Longdales park.
To make the fixture more interesting players from Rolls Royce 2nd XV helped to bolster both sides in a fixture that showed the core values of Lincolnshire rugby.
Lincoln's tries came from Charlie Over with a brace and Dave Wood and Ryan Tinsley each scoring one. Tinsley and Paul Swaby both kicked one conversion.
The opening stages of the fixture saw the newly formed Lincolnshire Police side match Lincoln thirds and hold them to a stalemate.
However, the deadlock was broken by Lincoln which followed from some scrappy play due to the conditions. Tinsley broke the line and set up a
perfectly executed backs move where the ball was played to Chris Barrett before Over was teed up to score out wide.
Lincolnshire Police stood strong as they halted the thirds for the majority of the first half.
Barrett continued his impressive display at 12 as he was influential in Lincoln’s second try. He played an effortless reverse pass to set up Tinsley on a crash ball to dot down for the final score of the first half.
The second half saw the continued relentless attack of Lincoln thirds as they pressed the police deep into their 22 as they attacked through the phases.
Swaby saw the opportunity for a quick snipe of the ball but was held up as Lincoln debutant Dave Wood picked it up to power over for a third Lincoln try.
Halfway through the second half a Lincoln kick through saw Over accelerate to put pressure on the police defence. The ball was not secured by the police as
the flying thirds picked up the ball and it was recycled through the ruck as Over completed his brace in the corner in the well-spirited friendly.
A real homage to local rugby in Lincolnshire that showed the love of the game in this county.
POST MATCH COMMENTS
Lincoln's 3rd XV manager Tony Clayton said:“Lincoln had the better of the early encounters to set the rhythm of the game, but Lincolnshire Police stood strong and created a number of good chances of their own.
“The improvement in the young Lincoln squad was clearly evident as they worked hard in defence and moved the ball well in attack.
“Every player stood out for praise and thoroughly deserved the win. Thank you to Lincolnshire Police for playing a great and honest game of rugby, and special kudos to Rolls Royce for making the journey and joining in the fun.”
Lincolnshire Police captain Chad Birch said: “The game was a great example of local club rugby. It was a tough game in tougher weather conditions.
"We are slowly building a team and are seeing phases of competitive rugby.
“We would like to thank Lincoln RUFC for once again being great hosts and putting on a really enjoyable game and day!”
