Lincolnshire Lancers played with great spirit and determination at the recent Hadrian Cup organised by Newcastle Ravens.

The 20th edition of the tournament included 16 Touch Teams and 20 Union teams.

The Lancers were in Pool B alongside Manchester Spartans, Dereham Hart, and a Barbarians team called Touch Barbies.

The first match was against the Spartans, who normally play in a higher IGR (International Gay Rugby) Series division, and the Lancers played with great heart, scoring and early try and defending well despite an 8-2 defeat.

Next, the Lancers faced the Touch Barbies, who were made up of coaches and experienced players from a range of teams, including players that play at national level. The Barbies played very quick game and often outpaced the Lancers, who lost 8-1.

Despite the tough defeats in the opening two pool matches, spirits remained high in the Lancers’ camp. They showed great pace and utilised new attacking plays as they beat Dereham Hart 4-1.

In the afternoon, the Lancers faced off against West London Warriors and narrowly lost 1-0. It was a very close encounter with a solid shift in both attack and defence, while the Lancers also had two tries disallowed in the second half.

The Lancers then faced Dereham Hart for the second time in the tournament, exploiting the weaknesses they had spotted in the earlier game to secure a 7-1 win. Despite a lot of the Lancers playing out of position, the performance showed a lot of promise for the future.

This earned the Lancers a place in the Antinous Plate Final and a chance of silverware against a well-established team in London Stags

It was a very close game with great defence and attack from both sides, and the Lancers eventually came out on top with a narrow 1-0 win thanks to a try from Shaun Husband.

The Lancers were proud of their efforts and able to celebrate with a much-deserved piece of silverware. All the players played with great heart and determination, with their tries across the tournament being scored by captain Ashley Vamplew, vice captain Tom Vanden Eede, Orion Fergie, Owen Elliott, Logan Teague, Jill Stubley and Husband.

Captain Ashley Vamplew picked his player of the day as Jill for her solid defence and how she followed the coaching instructions perfectly. Jill played in a variety of different positions and excelled in them all.


Vice captain Tom Vanden Eede picked his player of the day as Rich Michael, who showed a deep understanding of the game and positions and performed well at both wing and link, as well as supporting the mids in drives. His communication to the rest of the team was described as exemplary.


Two members of the Lancers team - Jamie Walmsley and Joe Haggo - joined the Transmanian Devils and gained valuable game experience.

Three other teams won silverware at the tournament - Manchester Spartans (Attingo Cup), Lancaster Typhoons (Attingo Shield) and West London Warriors (Antinous Cup).