Congratulations to De Montfort University's rugby players who won the first cash prize of the season in the Big Boot on a Tigers matchday on Sunday and have decided to donate their winnings to the Movember campaign.
The Big Boot is a major part of half-time entertainment during Leicester Tigers matchdays, firing a rugby ball high into the Welford Road sky and challenging teams of 10 to show their catching skills, with a jackpot prize for a cleansweep.
Although the students of De Montfort University missed out on the jackpot, which has now climbed to more than £1,400, they did take the consolation of £100 and the competition’s highest-ever score during half-time in the Tigers draw against Saracens in the Aviva Premiership on Sunday.
The previous best this season was five catches by both West Midlands club Warley RFC and Meden Vale RFC from Nottinghamshire.
But DMU made light of rainy conditions to bounce back from drops on their first two attempts to make seven catches and take top spot on the leaderboard.
The reward was the opportunity for one player to attempt to catch a bonus ball for £100 and DMU’s Andrew Lally showed a safe pair of hands as his team-mates cheered from the touchline.
A second-year student who plays at fly-half or centre for the university, Lally took the catch in front of a Tigers crowd of more than 21,500 and said: “I was happy to volunteer to go for it but also the team pointed at me so I had to do it!
“I was a bit nervous to start but you forget that everyone is watching you and just try to make the catch. Then it was great to hear everyone cheering when we’d won the £100.”
The DMU team have said they will donate the prize to Movember which aims to raise funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men
The Big Boot jackpot reaches £1,450 for a full set of 10 clean catches at the next home game, against Wasps on Saturday, November 29 and there are just two more openings for groups to join us in the rest of the season.
The Big Boot is only available to group bookings, participants must be aged 16 or over. All participants receive a Big Boot T-shirt as a souvenir. For more information or to book, phone the Tigers Group Days team on 0116 2171 216 or call in at the Tigers ticket office.
The Big Boot is a major part of half-time entertainment during Leicester Tigers matchdays, firing a rugby ball high into the Welford Road sky and challenging teams of 10 to show their catching skills, with a jackpot prize for a cleansweep.
Although the students of De Montfort University missed out on the jackpot, which has now climbed to more than £1,400, they did take the consolation of £100 and the competition’s highest-ever score during half-time in the Tigers draw against Saracens in the Aviva Premiership on Sunday.
The previous best this season was five catches by both West Midlands club Warley RFC and Meden Vale RFC from Nottinghamshire.
But DMU made light of rainy conditions to bounce back from drops on their first two attempts to make seven catches and take top spot on the leaderboard.
The reward was the opportunity for one player to attempt to catch a bonus ball for £100 and DMU’s Andrew Lally showed a safe pair of hands as his team-mates cheered from the touchline.
A second-year student who plays at fly-half or centre for the university, Lally took the catch in front of a Tigers crowd of more than 21,500 and said: “I was happy to volunteer to go for it but also the team pointed at me so I had to do it!
“I was a bit nervous to start but you forget that everyone is watching you and just try to make the catch. Then it was great to hear everyone cheering when we’d won the £100.”
The DMU team have said they will donate the prize to Movember which aims to raise funds and awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer and other cancers that affect men
The Big Boot jackpot reaches £1,450 for a full set of 10 clean catches at the next home game, against Wasps on Saturday, November 29 and there are just two more openings for groups to join us in the rest of the season.
The Big Boot is only available to group bookings, participants must be aged 16 or over. All participants receive a Big Boot T-shirt as a souvenir. For more information or to book, phone the Tigers Group Days team on 0116 2171 216 or call in at the Tigers ticket office.
