Stamford Rugby Club edged a local derby with rivals Kesteven RFC during The Ultimate Big Boot at Welford Road on Saturday.
Sponsored by De Montfort University, the Ultimate Big Boot allows groups to show their skills in front of a big Tigers crowd, challenging them to catch balls fired high into the sky as part of the half-time entertainment.
As Tigers recorded a 19-15 victory over London Irish in the Aviva Premiership, it was Stamford RFC who took the honours against their young counterparts at half-time, making six clean catches to five by Kesteven.
Darren Gray was among the Stamford group and said: "It’s funny, grown men being nervous but we were also excited about the sporting occasion for the first time in years.
“It was a superb day, the kids loved watching the coaches attempting to catch the balls.”
Jonathan Jackson joined the Kesteven group and said: "We brought a group of our under-14s and they had a great day at Tigers, both watching the game and participating in The Big Boot competition.
“The boys did well catching five out of the 10 balls but narrowly lost out to Stamford. However, we enjoyed the experience to be out on the pitch and really relished sitting so close to the pitch, being only metres away from their favourite players.”
Lincoln Rugby Club’s under-16 team remain on top of the leaderboard in The Ultimate Big Boot this season with the seven catches they recorded at half-time in the Tigers win over Gloucester in September.
The Ultimate Big Boot is available to Tigers group bookings. Participants must be aged 14 or over. All participants receive a Big Boot T-shirt as a souvenir. For more information, phone the Tigers Group Days team on 0116 2171 216.
