LINCOLN 3RD XV 17
HORNCASTLE 1ST XV 12
BY JOSEPH VERNEY & TONY CLAYTON
PHOTO CREDIT: TONY CLAYTON
George Hutton, Craig Griffiths, and Robbie Blunden all scored tries as Lincoln’s 3rd XV claimed a 17-12 victory against a gutsy Horncastle side.
Lincoln controlled much of the first half and opened the scoring when Josh Tinsley made burst forward before being held up. Horncastle turned the ball over, but they then gave a free-kick away at the scrum.
The ball came out to George Hutton who drove through and twisted to score a try just to the right of the posts.
The hosts increased their lead after 25 minutes when powerful prop Darren Rorie draw the tackle in and, as he hit the ground, he popped the ball out to Chris Smith.
Smith drew in two more players before offloading to Craig Griffiths, who went on a mazy run through the Horncastle defence and cut back inside the winger and full-back to score a great try.
Lincoln’s man-of-the-match Ryan Tinsley successfully slotted over the conversion as Lincoln took a 12-0 lead going in at the break.
Lincoln moved further in front within 10 minutes of the restart. Fly-half Sean Parker kicked the ball through to the wing, which awkwardly bounced for the defence. Robbie Blunden picked up the ball and cut back inside to touch down and score a try.
Horncastle continued to show great determination and were rewarded for their efforts as Jake Taylor grabbed two tries from pick and go play from the forwards.
Lewis Dean successfully converted one of the tries, while Jake Cooke was named as Horncastle’s man-of-the-match for some strong runs and big hitting tackles.
POST MATCH COMMENTS
Lincoln’s 3rd XV captain Tony Clayton said: “Lincoln played with passion and cohesion and snatched control of the game from the early stages.
“Horncastle never gave up and deserved their tries late in the game with some strong determined running.
“As Lincoln 3’s continue to rebuild and develop there’s of course room for improvement, but I couldn’t be prouder to be part of the squad.”
Horncastle captain Mike Hoyes said: “Our heads weren’t in it in the first half and Lincoln dominated the game and went into half-time 12-0 up. In the second half Horncastle woke up and started putting pressure on Lincoln.”
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