Winning Run Comes To An End

Lutterworth welcomed Hinckley with a plate semi final place on offer to the victors.

After sub zero temperatures overnight it was agreed to kick off 30 minutes later to allow the pitch to thaw out.

It was evident from the first kick off that the Hinckley forwards were keen to make their mark quickly turning over the ball and gain territorial advantage.

It was no surprise when Hinckley scored a well worked try in the first ten minutes by their impressive centre scoring under the posts.

The boys appeared deflated by this as they themselves are known for starting quickly - maybe complacency set in after last weeks close victory and it was soon after that Hinckley scored their second converted try. To add salt to the wounds Louis Beighton was also harshly yellow carded for an alleged indiscretion.

The referee was frustrating both teams with what can only be seen as pedantic calls stopping any momentum being gained by either team. Maybe some common sense would have been better used rather than playing to the letter of the law.

Hinckley scored their third converted try just before the break leaving Lutterworth an uphill task in the second half.

HT Lutterworth 0 Hinckley 21

The second half began much as the first with the Hinckley front five dominating in all areas. There were too many players tackling too high and not applying the effort required.

Despite having a lot of possession Hinckley were unable to add to their first half score with some great tackllng notably made by Billy Walkinshaw and Louis Beighton. The back row were also keeping the Hinckley forwards quieter which provided more confidence to the team.

Again the referee was causing both sets of coaches to look at each other in disbelief with decisions made that baffled all.

It appeared that the second half would remain scoreless until the last few minutes when good hands through the backs saw David Dingley race for the corner only to be stopped by a high tackle that produced a yellow card for the Hinckley centre. Why a penalty try wasn't also awarded remains another of those refereeing decisions unanswered but after a few attempts Louis managed to break the defence allowing Dan Glasse to convert with the last kick of the game.

FT Lutterworth 7 Hinckley 21

The boys need to pick themselves up and remember what they are capable of doing. They were outplayed by a good Hinckley team today who have our best wishes in their progress.

With weather for the following week not looking to promising it looks like the lads will have a while to reflect on this performance, what went wrong and how they are going to get themselves back on track for the remaining of what has so far been a good season.

Finally - thoughts for David Dingley who was taken to hospital by ambulance after the late high tackle.