BY JOSEPH VERNEY AND SAMUEL ROYLANCE
PHOTO CREDIT: SAMUEL ROYLANCE, CLAIRE JONES & IAN CHORLTON
Tries from Emma Jorden, Ella Frow, Gail Hunter and debutant Finn Clements saw Lincoln Touch beat Isle Touch Rugby 4-3 in the first ever Mike Beard Lincolnshire Touch Shield.
The match held at Lincoln Rugby Club on Saturday, March 12 commemorated the life of a special man – Mike Beard – who tragically died nearly seven years ago.
Mike set up Lincoln Touch back in 2012 with just four members and it has grown steadily over the years. The now thriving team has up to 30 regular players through the winter and 40-50 in the summer as Mike’s legacy lives on in Lincoln. Before the match Rob Smith talked about memories of Mike and what he meant to the club.
Isle Touch opened the scoring with tries from Seb Chorlton and Tom Keyworth, and put Lincoln on the back foot for most of the first half.
Lincoln hit back with three unanswered tries from Jorden, Clements and Frow to give the hosts a narrow lead going in at the break.
Isle started the second half strongly and scored an early breakaway try through Dave Snell to level the score at 3-3.
Both sides were enjoying good spells of possession, but it was Lincoln who came up with the decisive score from Hunter after a quick play near the try line 10 minutes from time.
Isle had chances to level the score and take the game to extra time, but Lincoln’s defence held firm with some try saving touches in a nail-biting finish.
Samuel Roylance, who took over as head of Lincoln Touch after his close friend Mike’s tragic death, said: “I was really impressed with the game play from Isle Touch, having not played a match against another team under the new Touch rules. They really made Lincoln work hard for the win.
“Lincoln Touch really put their all to win the first Mike Beard Lincolnshire Touch Shield. Overall it was a really good day of Touch and development for both teams, with links formed with a fellow ETA Touch club in Lincolnshire.
“If other clubs in Lincolnshire want to play touch with Lincoln Touch or Isle Touch we encourage them to contact us via our social media pages, and we’ll welcome them into the sport through England Touch Association.”
Isle Touch Rugby are coming to the end of their fourth year after being launched by Warren Steele and three other players in a community park in Belton in North Lincolnshire.
The club has grown to around 30 players, catering for mixed male/female sessions, and is now based at their newer headquarters in Epworth.
After the match against Lincoln, Warren said: “Playing against Lincoln Touch in the first ever Mike Beard Lincolnshire Touch Shield tournament was an absolute honour for Isle Touch Rugby.
“Whilst we lost the match, a tournament was cemented for the development of Touch Rugby across Lincolnshire in Mike’s memory and friends were made on the rugby pitch.”
