Young players from Lincoln Rugby Club remain on top of the leaderboard in The Ultimate Big Boot this season despite two good efforts from competitors representing Ilkeston RFC and Market Harborough Hockey Club 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.
At half-time in the Aviva Premiership win over Gloucester in September, Lincoln’s under-16 team made seven successful catches from their 10 attempts as they enjoyed the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of rugby legends on the Tigers turf.
Lincoln equalled the top score from the 2016/17 season set by a team from Market Harborough RFC, who also topped the leaderboard in the early weeks of the new campaign with five catches.
There were two good efforts at Saturday’s home game against European Champions Cup visitors Castres Olympique with Market Harborough Hockey Club (5) beating their heads-to-head rivals from Ilkeston RFC (3) in testing, windy conditions.
Nick Riley, chairman of the Market Harborough Hockey Club, said: “We did fantastically well and it’s a great achievement. It’s the first time we’ve taken part and so we’re proud to come out on top today.
“The wind made it difficult to judge the flight of the ball but the lads kept their eyes on it and luckily we managed to keep hold of a few.”
Ilkeston RFC player George Jones said: “It was good to be out there in front of the crowd. We thought we could have got more.”
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.
The Ultimate Big Boot 2017/18
Lincoln RFC - 7
Leicester Forest RFC - 6
Market Harborough Hockey - 5
Market Harborough RUFC - 5
Newmarket - 5
Combe Down RFC - 4
Ilkeston RFC - 3
Babcock International - 2
Birstall RFC - 2
Warley RFC - 1
Lutterworth Ladies RFC - 0
