Luctonians RFC vs Loughborough Students RFC
Saturday 1st March 2025 – Mortimer Park
Match Report by Geoff Vickress
A superbly exciting game of rugby at Mortimer Park, on a beautiful spring afternoon, saw the students score seven tries to out-pace the home side, who scored six of their own, by 11 points.
Luctonians will probably rue the 2 yellow cards awarded against them for foul play in the second half, when they were dragging themselves back into the contest, just when this looked like being a really evenly balanced toe-to-toe encounter.
The home side, after being 12-35 behind at half time, had trimmed the students’ advantage to just 11 points, and were back in the ascendancy, looking like reducing the scoreline at will until ill discipline allowed their opponents back into the game.
The home side struck first with their prolific try-scoring captain and hooker, Ben Link, once again coming up at the bottom of a driving maul after 5 minutes; the conversion being missed. But the Students were back in the contest after 9 minutes when scrum half, Hulse, closely followed by Starman Adegbemile gave them a 5-14 lead, with Taylor converting both.
Lively home wing Grimes ran in a score for the home side after16 minutes, Randell converting to reduce the scoreline to 12-14.
But, in what was a real end-to-end encounter, the students further increased their scores with 3 more unanswered tries before half time. Cross on 23, Hulse again on 34 and Denman on the half time whistle, with Taylor again converting all 3 to give the travelling support from Loughborough plenty to cheer for at half time, with a 12-35 lead.
Half Time Score
Luctonians RFC 12 – 35 Loughborough Students RFC
Lucs made changes at half time and came out revitalised, Mear dotting down on 45, with Goodwin adding to the home sides tally on 49 mins to reduce the deficit to 24-35.
But it then went sour for the home side, with Grimes first being shown a yellow for foul play after 51 minutes, Bennett following him just 4 minutes later, to see the home side down to 13 players.
Whilst the Students didn’t take full advantage of the number count, this took the sting out of the home side’s attack and purpose.
Easterby and Nancekivell scored to stretch the students’ advantage, with the immaculate Taylor from the tee, to a full 25-point advantage, leading 24-49 with just 5 minutes left on the clock.
Student Sell was shown a yellow for the visitors for verbal to the referee shortly after, and Lucs, with an excellent home crowd making plenty of noise despite the scoreline, rallied to see Montgomery and James Wheeler, who had a fine game for the home side, both dot down late in the game, Randell converting both to see the score back to 38-49 at the whistle.
Full Time Score
Luctonians RFC 38 – 49 Loughborough Students RFC
Lucs go on the road next week to Hornets, who have crept above them in the league and will be hoping some of their injured and depleted squad are fit to return. With the Students hosting Cinderford and looking to upset the top four with a result at home.
Star Man
Tayo Adegbemile
Loughborough Students
Luctonians Man of the Match
James Wheeler
