Ex-pro footballer’s surgery fundraiser after mental health spiral saw him play part-time in Lincolnshire

The Lincoln Ladies took another step towards the league title by continuing their undefeated season with a narrow 17-15 away win against Boston, but were pushed all the way by their opponents.

Before the game, both sides observed a minute of applause in memory of former Lincoln coach Steve Burns. Lincoln has been playing in a special tartan uniform this season in tribute to Steve, but due to a uniform clash on Sunday, they went back to playing in a red and green stripe.

Both teams battled hard in windy conditions, but it was Lincoln who scored first after just five minutes. Jenna Bierton gave up a Boston player when she ran for a try after some great work from Ella Frow, before Emily Nelson added the conversion with her first kick for Lincoln.

Lincoln increased his lead when Abi Lee’s overhand kick bounced off before being picked up by Harriet Fluck, who ran for an attempt from the halfway line.

Charlie Ingram-Janette of Boston was forced out when she suffered a concussion after accidental contact with her knee and was taken to hospital. After being assessed, she was discharged and everyone from both clubs wish her a speedy recovery.

The match resumed on another field while Charlie was being treated. It wasn’t long before Boston cut the deficit to 12-5 when Charlotte Daubney set up captain Hannah Booth, who hit a line drive at speed and blasted through two tacklers to score a try in the corner.

Boston narrowed the gap even further when Daubney unloaded on Max Heeley, who snatched the ball at high speed and came forward to try, taking three defenders with him in the process.

Lincoln responded quickly to extend his lead when Fluck picked up a fumble and got past most of the defense before being tackled from six feet away. Jade Morgan then collected the ball from a ruck before diving in for an unsuccessful try.

Boston refused to give up and cut the deficit to two points when Kyra Balderstone caught the ball from a lineout and a drive put Tash Champion to the test.

The two teams remained neck-and-neck for the final 10 minutes: Boston trailed behind and tried to advance, only to be met by a stubborn defense from Lincoln that emerged victorious.

The match also saw Lincoln center Clare Brooker-Brown play the full 80 minutes on her return to rugby, in what was her first appearance for two years.

In the same division, Women’s National Challenge 2 Midlands (North East), Aimee Goument crossed for two tries as Kesteven Ladies secured an impressive 39-0 home win against Deeping Devils Ladies.

Ruth Holmes, Beth Toone, Molly Walker, Kerri Arlando and Stacey Spafford also scored tries for Kesteven, while Amy Brumhead and Megan Alderton each had a conversion.

Ami Boneham and Tamzin Keenlyside were named as Kesteven’s best players on the day. Keenlyside was one of the founding members of the team and played his last game before retiring from the team.

Rising star of the Under-18 team Lilliemae Reid was promoted to make her senior debut, while Carina O’Brien also made her first appearance for the team.

Despite the result, Deepings rugby development officer Kieran Lynch was proud of his team, saying “everyone put in an incredible effort and never lowered their heads”.

He praised both teams for ensuring the game went ahead, after agreeing to play 10 a side, to show the positive impact of following the RFU’s ‘Game On’ guidance.

Rachel Salter and Jo Burke were named Deepings forward and back of the match respectively, while Kesteven chose Alex Atkinson as the away team’s best player.

Josephine Cobden scored two tries as Sleaford Ladies put on a performance of real grit and determination, and remained in high spirits, despite a 37-17 loss at Peterborough.

Kelly King also scored a try for Sleaford while Aimee Jepson added a conversion as the visitors continue to show huge improvement this season.

In NC 2 North (East) Women, tries from captain Becky Clark and Jazz Clark helped Scunthorpe Women to a narrow 10-5 victory against Harrogate.

Charlotte Oades and Sophie Bullass were named Scunthorpe’s Forward and Back of the Match respectively, while Kirsty Gray was voted the best player on the team by her coach. Jacqui Warrington was named Scunthorpe’s Player of the Match by Harrogate.

The results may not have gone well on Sunday afternoon, but the entire Lincoln Touch team never gave up and showed great spirit in the fifth round of the Eastern Regional Development tournament in St Ives.

Lincoln lost by a score of 3-1 to the Nomads, Bishop Stortford and Essex, with their tries coming from Rob Smith, Flynn Smith and Maksim Lema. A narrow 1–0 loss against Royston then followed.

Lincoln ended the day with a 4-1 loss against Nottingham, with Emily Gourlay setting up Flynn Smith for her only try of the match. Lincoln also debuted Will Bayes-Green and Pablo Juarez during the tournament.

The Lincoln Under-13s played the Pavivors in the NLD Plate on Sunday and advanced to the next round after a 25-20 win.

Morgan Beese and Morgan Jones each had two tries for Lincoln, while James Thomas scored one after breaking tackles during a powerful run.

men’s rugby

At Midlands Two East (North), Will Topper crossed for two attempts as Market Rasen & Louth battled hard in a 38-22 home loss against Ilkeston.

Cian Baker also scored a try to put Rasen within seven points of safety.

Sam Lempard was awarded man of the match for the hosts, who also received a penalty try in a hard-fought game in Lincolnshire.

In the Midlands Three East (North), Doug Clough, Jordan Nuttall and Jess Matthews scored tries as Grimsby refused to give up in a 66-19 loss against promotion-chasing Birstall.

Matthews also kicked in two conversions for Grimsby, who battled hard against their Leicestershire opponents.

Grimsby’s Under-16s were also in action at the weekend when Alfie Whale scored a try in a 5-5 draw against Goole.

In the Midlands Four East (North), captain Ross O’Loughlin made his long-awaited return from injury when his team performed strongly in a 5-5 draw at Ollerton.

Scrum-half Leo Cross scored an unconverted try to secure a deserved equalizer for Hykeham, but unfortunately O’Loughlin may face another spell on the sidelines after picking up an injury in the first half.

Hykeham had plenty of territory in the match, but couldn’t convert enough chances to take the win away from him and had to settle for a hard-fought draw.