By Joseph Verney
Lincoln Touch proudly ended the University of East Anglia Touch Festival as runners-up after a positive day of six wins in eight matches.
Lincoln travelled with a small team of nine due to unavailability of other players, with two players joining from other sides late on - Ethan from Royston Touch and Clarice from Wymondham Touch.
Despite having the smallest team in the tournament, Lincoln didn't let it dampen their spirits and won five of their six pool matches to top the table.
Lincoln started the pool stages with an 8-0 win over Valkerie before following that up with a 3-1 victory against Mavericks.
A 5-1 win against Saracens and a 4-2 victory over University of East Anglia saw Lincoln continue their perfect start. However, Lincoln's unbeaten run was ended in a narrow 2-1 defeat against eventual tournament winners L&Y (Lowestoft and Yarmouth).
Lincoln bounced back to win their final group game 3-0 against Cambridge to secure top spot, with the three teams immediately below them also advancing to the semi-final.
They secured yet another win and a place in the final with a 3-1 victory against University of East Anglia.
Lincoln, who won the Shield Final in Cambridgeshire earlier this month, were unable to add to their silverware this time around as the final ended in a narrow 1-0 defeat against L&Y.
Flynn Smith ended the tournament with six tries, while Charlie Bargh (4), Adam 'Smyth' Whitwell (4), Andy Bargh (3), Rob Smith (3), Maksim Lema (2), Ethan (2), Noah Poindexter Jones (2), Lucy Bancroft (1) and Gail Hunter (1) also getting their names on the scoresheet.
Lincoln Touch Team Manager Rob Smith said: "I'm really proud of how the team showed grit and determination. To go into every game full of positivity and commitment to win, especially with being the team with the least players on the day and to have two players from different clubs join us and to put in the commitment required to win was amazing."
