Lincoln Lions
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Lincoln Lions Rugby Football Club (formed in 1902), is arguably the most successful rugby union club which never turned professional. This year's season (2007-08) has been hailed as a 'Golden Year'. The Lincoln Lions have already managed to retain their title as East Midlands Cup champions for the fifth time in succession, this is a feat that has never managed to be achieved before by any club.
In July 2007, the Lions embarked on their much awaited first tour to Australia. They spent sixteen days 'down-under' and played a total of five matches. They played their first two games in Brisbane beating the Coastal-Cats by 27-24 and then drew with the Brisbane Broncos Academy side 15-15. Their next two results didn't quite live up to expectations when they side moved on to Sydney. The Lions were brutally crushed 6-32 by the Sydney Warriors. However the Lions retrieved some of their confidence when they narrowly lost to the Crusaders 17-20. For the Lions final matched they moved on to Canberra to play the Eagles. This match was watched by a record 11,239 crowd for an amateur tour match. The Lions managed to salvage a win under a traditionally hostile crowd 23-21 to wrap up a fantastic tour and set themselves up for a gruelling season.
On October 6th, the new season finally got under way with a bruising encounter at Hull and lost, however this was the only defeat for the following eight matches. Lincoln made sure Hull quickly lost the top spot in the league with emphatic wins over Norwich, Peterborough and Skegness. The Cup run was even more impressive. A trip to Beverley during November was anything but a pretty affair. The match could only have been described as a scrap but the Lions came out on Top 19-12. Following victories against Nottingham and Doncaster saw themselves through to the semi-finals and a rematch against Hull. It was a freezing weekend in January but Lincoln came away victorious with a last gasp penalty to win 18-15. The Final was against Leicester Tiger Academy who looked stronger for much of the game but couldn't compete when it mattered most and went down 24-17.
The Lincoln Lions isn't just successful through winning trophies. It has been blessed with the abilities to produce professional and world class players. These players include Tom Davies (Swansea-Neath Ospreys Academy), Henry Alexander (Saracens Academy), Edward Hocknull (Sale Sharks Academy), Ben Davies (Llanelli Scarlets Academy) and Ollie Smith (Leicester Tigers academy).
Below is a record of all the titles/trophies that Lincoln Lions have won:
East Midlands Second Division - 1905 East Midlands Second Division - 1906 East Midlands Cup Finalists - 1909 East Midlands First Division - 1913 East Midlands Fist Division - 1919 East Midlands Second Division - 1925 National Cup Finalists - 1929 National Cup Winners - 1931 National Cup Winners - 1934 East Midlands First Division - 1939 East Midlands First Division - 1947 East Midlands First Division - 1948 National Cup Finalists - 1951 National Cup Finalists - 1973 East Midlands Third Division - 1974 East Midlands Second Division - 1977 National Cup Finalists - 1977 East Midlands Second Division - 1979 National Cup Winners - 1982 East Midlands Second Division - 1989 East Midlands First Division - 1992 National Cup Winners - 1993 East Midlands First Division - 1998 National Cup Finalists - 1999 East Midlands First Division - 2003 East Midlands Cup* Winners - 2004 East Midlands First Division - 2004 East Midlands Cup* Winners - 2005 East Midlands Cup* Winners - 2006 East Midlands Cup* Winners - 2007 East Midlands Cup* Winners - 2008
- - The National Cup format was revised in 2001 by the RFU into inter-County competitions.
