Youngsters to be given their chance at Market Rasen & Louth this summer

Market Rasen & Louth Rugby Club will spend the summer blooding in a handful of youngsters as they prepare for next season.

While a number of Lincolnshire clubs will spend June competing in mini tournaments, the red and greens will be playing friendly matches.

Captain George Grant believes this will allow players progressing from the colts set-up to gain better match experience ahead of the Midlands 2 East (North) campaign.

“Due to focussing on the season in September we’re not in the competition,” Grant said. “We want to concentrate on September. We’re focussing more on keeping the squad playing.

“We’ve got new lads coming through at Colt age -16, 17 and 18-year-olds.

“We’re keen to incorporate them, so there’ll be squad games with first and second team players playing alongside each other.”

Grant believes mixing up squads infriendlies will be a better introduction to senior rugby for the youngsters than throwing them in at the deep end on match day.

“Friendlies are the best way to develop players in those situations,” he added.

“There are quite a few, about half a dozen lads around 17-18, who will definitely be playing first team rugby this season.

“When I’ve been playing previously there was no way to bring the colts in and get familiar with how the side trains and plays. So it’s good we can get them working alongside the senior team.”

Members of Market Rasen and Louth completed their Viking Way Challenge this weekend. The hardy players and support crew Ed Timmins covered the 147-mile trek from the Humber Bridge to Oakham in 47 hours and 34 minutes - inside their 48-hour target.

The exercise was also a fundraiser for the Motor Neurone Disease Association and has raised £3,728 as we went to press, well above the £1,000 target.