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Points-hungry Boston 1^st XV overwhelmed rivals Long Eaton to maintain a grip on top position in the Midlands East 5 (North) League. A scoring rate that averaged a little under a point per minute swamped the home outfit and ensured the blue and whites stayed above Bakewell Mannerians.

In this match, Boston’s youth policy took a significant step forward when four players, all aged under-20, were given their first team debuts. And all contributed to the club’s best result of the season to date.

The match produced a number of highlights, 11 tries, a personal haul of four tries for full-back/fly half Paul Jarvis, braces for winger Adam Wright and back row Ryan Shelford and importantly a major credit in points difference, which could well prove decisive as the competition for the league title nears the end.

Boston started the match with centre Jake Brooks and Ollie Webster in the back row making their league debuts. The Staffsmart-sponsored blue and whites produced a turbo-charged start in the first 10 minutes, producing a three-try blitz, via scores through Ryan Shelford, a scything run from winger Peter Stubley and the first for Paul Jarvis. After 10 minutes Boston were 21-0 in the lead.

With the travelling spectators and players collectively gathering their breath, it was another eight minutes before the scoreboard moved again. Ryan Shelford quickly reasserted Boston’s dominance when his strong running in the loose earned him his second try. And shortly after came a push-over try, courtesy of number eight Ben Hausermann. This ensured Boston entered half-time with a 35-0 margin to their credit.

The second half proved to be a mixed affair in terms of performance, an early try by winger Adam Wright, did not lead to the immediate flood gates opening. In fact, when fly half Ryan Krause was forced to leave the field due to a knee injury, Boston’s fluency and tempo suffered as a result. Ryan’s injury saw winger Perry Cumber make his debut and shortly after hooker Craig Dowse was rested, for the third debutant Lloyd Hurford to join the fray in the back row.

The next 20 minutes were patchy to say the least. Despite, having the lion’s share of possession, Boston could not register any more points. It was left to the mercurial Paul Jarvis, now playing at fly half, to kick-start the team into action, through a fine individual solo try from outside the 22m line.

With the game safely won, coach Ray Hayward brought on the last of his substitutes — Alex McGuire replacing second row Frank Cannon.

In the last 15 minutes Boston added a further four tries to their impressive haul. Perry Cumber capped a memorable day by scoring on his debut. Fellow winger Adam Wright, not to be outdone, added his second and Paul Jarvis added a further two. With Sam Wainwright adding a personal haul of 20 points with a fine kicking display, Boston ended the game with an excellent winning score and an important boost in confidence before this week’s prestige EDF Junior Vase quarter-final game against Billericay at home, kick off 2.30pm, all support welcome.

The coaching staff of Ray Hayward and Ben Hausermann, expressed their delight with the result and the debuts of all four young squad players, who acquitted themselves well.

Boston 1stXV: I Sampson, C Dowse, A Buckberry, F Cannon, N Lane, B Hausermann, R Shelford, O Webster, S Wainwight, R Krause, P Stubley, S Cooke, J Brooks, A Wright, P Jarvis. Replacements: A McGuire, L Hurford, P Cumber.

February 20 round-up:

Boston 1^st XV 41 Skegness 1^st XV 3

A change is as good as a rest. So goes the old motto. On Tuesday night, Boston put this into practice in the quarter-final of the NLD Cup, playing Skegness at Sleaford, with a dramatic change in personnel.

As Boston’s season reaches its climax in terms of EDF Cup and league commitments, this re-arranged fixture allowed the coaching staff of Ray Hayward and Ben Hausermann to let the second team squad take centre stage. With only four first team squad players in the starting line-up, the second team players rose to the challenge, defeating Skegness by six tries to nil.

Throughout the match Boston sought to play controlled open rugby, despite the best intentions of Skegness to slow down possession in the loose, tactics that eventually tried the patience of the referee and resulted in two Skegness players being “sin-binned” in the second half.

Despite early domination of play, it took the Staffsmart-sponsored Boston team 10 minutes before they opened their account. Sustained pressure in the Skegness 22m zone eventually brought its reward with fly half Ryan Krause breaking through the Skegness defence to score under the posts. The conversion by Sam Wainwright moved Boston into a 7-0 lead.

With Boston putting together some sustained phases of rugby and winger Max Slater looking dangerous in the loose, it was in the set-piece play that they looked most dangerous. From a set scrum 5m out, scrum half Sam Wainwright and fly half Ryan Krause created space for centre Simon Cooke (returning from injury) to score Boston’s second try. The conversion by Sam Wainwright with an additional penalty minutes later took Boston into the interval at 17-0 in front. The only downside to the first 40 minutes was an injury to number eight James Fendyke that meant he had to leave the field to be replaced by Gareth Jones.

The second half proved to be somewhat mixed in terms of Boston’s performance. In the opening exchanges, Boston quickly resumed their domination of Skegness and a fine try from second row Philip Roberts was reward for his support play as he followed up a break from winger Adam Wright to score in the corner. A hand injury minutes later would force his withdrawal and allow Sam Paylin to enter the fray.

It was at this point with Boston in a comfortable lead 22-3 that they collectively “took their foot of the pedal”. The sin-binning of two Skegness players, appeared to galvanise Skegness who for the next 20 minutes produced their best rugby of the match. With a two-man advantage during this spell, Boston could only score one try, through back row Andrew McGuire in a rare foray into the oppositions half.

During the last 15 minutes Boston occasionally sputtered back into life, to score two further tries through centre Simon Cooke and second row Nigel Lane. Both tries were the result of excellent forward work, with the pack setting up controlled catch and drives from 5m line outs. With the clock running down coach Ray Hayward brought on fresh legs, full-back Brain Johnson being replaced by Colin Smith and B Perry coming on for Adam Wright on the wing.

Boston finished the match with a comfortable and deserved 41-3 win and a place in the semi-final draw.

After the match, coach Ray Hayward expressed delight with the win and particularly the way the team stepped up to the mark and importantly how several individuals pressed home their credentials to be included into the full time first team squad.

Boston 1^st XV: G Sergeant, O Webster, R Mann- Scott, N Lane, P Roberts, A Cock, A Maguire, J Fendyke, S Wainwight, R Krause, M Slater, S Cooke, J Smith, A Wright, B Johnson. Replacements: S Paylin, C Smith, G Jones, B Perry.

February 17 round-up:

Boston 1^st XV 37, Nottingham Casuals 12

Boston kept a grip on top spot in the Midlands East 5 (North) League with a decisive win over lowly Nottingham Casuals. The victory ensured the blue and whites remained above Bakewell Mannerians on points scored difference with the sides locked together on 24 league points.

And the slender margin of the aforementioned points difference could be a key issue in the final championship analysis. The 22 rattled up by the blue and whites in the final 40 minutes on Saturday did much to help the Staffsmart-sponsored side’s cause as they claimed top spot from chief rivals Bakewell.

Anyone unfamiliar with Boston’s second-half whirlwind performances could have been forgiven for thinking this was going to be a tight and tense game given the evidence of the opening 40 minutes when only three points separated the sides thanks to home tries from Paul Jarvis and Peter Stubley that were answered by a converted try from Casuals.

But the second half was a completely different ball game as Boston dominated and turned their territorial advantage and possession into a good harvest of points, with tries from Ben Hausermann, a second from Jarvis, a collector’s item from Craig Dowse and a final score from Kiwi Ryan Shelford.

For once, the normally lethal Rhys Gosling seemed to have his kicking boots on the wrong feet and he only recorded one conversion. However, perhaps he was hiding his skills given the fact that the whole match was being recorded by Billericay, Boston's rivals in the quarter-finals of the EDF Cup. Was the canny Welshman just trying to convince them there was no danger in giving away penalties?

This Saturday (February 24), Boston will aim to consolidate their position when they visit Long Eaton in another league tussle.

February 10 round-up:

Boston 1^st XV 12, Bedford Swifts 1^st XV 6

by John Fletcher

Boston’s dream of Twickenham glory still lives on. A superb victory over Bedford Swifts moved them into the quarter-finals of the EDF Energy Junior Vase competition and in the process creating a new and proud chapter in the club’s history.

Before the start of the match, both teams observed a minute’s silence in memory of R G Clark. Dick Clark was one of the founder members of Boston rugby club, who held numerous positions, as Captain, President and Honorary Life Member. The Club extend its deepest sympathy to his family.

Before the match started, the coaching staff of the Staffsmart-sponsored Boston team knew the weather and the pitch conditions would play a key role in determining the outcome of the contest. During the week coaches Ben Hausemann and Ray Hayward along with captain Rhys Gosling plotted the team tactics and importantly the defensive drills that they knew they would have to perfect against a strong visitng team.

Boston opened the game positively, looking to keep Bedford down in their own half and place the visitors under pressure with a series of high kicks. The heavy pitch conditions and wet ball tested both sets of players’ handling skills and caused many enforced errors. As the game continued it became clear that the side best able to adapt to the elements and minimise their error count would come out on top.

As expected, the game proved to be a tight, tense affair. The first 20 minutes passed in a stalemate with neither side being able to impose themselves. Worryingly for the home side, not only was their line-out mis-firing, but the pack was under increasing pressure from the Bedford forwards. While Boston enjoyed spells of territorial domination, they were unable to convert this pressure into any points. Somewhat against the run of play Bedford Swifts took the lead through a converted penalty to move into a 3-0 lead.

Thus far the only real try scoring opportunity had arisen form a break by returning scrum half Kenny Lines (literally having flown back into the country to play before jetting back to Austria just hours after the final whistle), who was stopped a yard short of the line.

With time running out before half-time, it was left to captain Gosling to provide some much needed inspiration and spark the large home support into action. A speculative kick-and-chase ahead from outside the 22m zone saw a Bedford Swifts player unable to touch the ball down in the dead ball area and Gosling pounced on the error to score. The conversion placed Boston into a 7-3 interval lead.

Regrettably as a result of an ensuing melee after the try was scored, second row Ryan Shelford was “sin binned “ for 10 minutes, reducing Boston to 14 men for the start of the crucial second half and placing the home side’s forwards under increasing pressure.

A missed penalty attempt within minutes of the restart by Gosling meant the home crowd’s nerves were not eased and as often happens, Boston’s concentration began to wane and errors crept into their game. Bedford, with a man advantage, sought to impose themselves especially in the forwards department and placed Boston under an intensive 10-minute spell of pressure on their own goal line. The hard work in training in the week, in lineout defensive drills and tackling paid dividends as the forwards marshalled by Ben Hausemann repelled the visitors’ advances.

For all their pressure, Bedford could only add an additional three points to narrow the deficit to 7-6 before the return of Shelford, saw Boston back to full strength.

With 15 minutes remaining the game was still evenly poised. And it was clear that the next score would prove decisive in winning the overall battle. For Boston this arrived via full-back Paul Jarvis. Another speculative kick into the Bedford 22m area from No 8 Hausermann resulted in quick ball being recycled by the forwards who instantly spun the ball wide. Full-back Jarvis elected to cut back inside, ignoring the supporting winger Piers Carter to force his way over the line to score and move Boston into a 12-6 lead. At this stage with 10 minutes remaining, Boston bought on fresh legs. Kenny Lines was replaced by Sam Wainwright at scrum half, James Fendyke replaced Ste Loveley in the back row and Nigel Lane came on for Marc Miles.

For the expectant crowd the last 10 minutes seemed like an eternity. The tension mounted as Bedford looked to counter attack at every opportunity. Boston’s defence stood firm and with committed tackling they ensured a famous victory was sealed. Boston Rugby Club expressed thanks to HGV Truck and Trailer Parts who sponsored the match.

The draw for the quarter-final will be made this week, with the scheduled match to played on March 3 at a neutral venue to be determined by the RFU.

Other sixth round results on February 10: Aylestone St James 29, West Leeds 13; Billericay 16, Bideford 10; Old Abbotstonians 8, Trojans RFC 9; Old Alleynians 12, Whitstable 18.

On Saturday February 17 Boston return to league action when entertaining Nottingham Casuals at home, kick off 2.30 pm. The coaching staff, while clearly ecstatic with the cup result, will want to ensure the club’s focus on promotion is not lost and “business as usual” will be the order of the day.

Boston 1stXV: I Sampson, C Dowse, A Buckberry, F Cannon, B Hausermann, R Shelford, M Miles, K Lines, R Gosling, S Lovely, P Stubley, R Krause, D Barratt, P Carter, P Jarvis. Replacements: S Bourne, N Lane, J Fendyke.

February 3 round-up:

Boston Rugby Club 1^st XV’s planned Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Lincolnshire Cup match against Skegness was regrettably postponed a few days before its scheduled kick-off date on the request of Skegness, leaving Boston with a rare weekend off. The coaching staff elected to rest players before their February 10 EDF Cup sixth round match and subsequent final phase of league matches in the weeks ahead.

In respect of the EDF Cup, Saturday sees Boston enter unknown territory when they play in the sixth round of the competition. The blue and whites face Midlands 5 South East side Bedford Swifts, again at the Boardsides. Boston have already played one team from this division when they travelled in November to play Stoneygate in Leicester for a first round game and came away with a 20-3 victory.

Bedford Swifts currently lie at the top of their league, and like Boston have only lost one league match so far. It has the hallmarks of being another tight, enthralling encounter for the Boston squad when the coveted prize of a place in the quarter-finals is at stake-and one rung further along the ladder to a possible Twickenham final.

Local bookmaker Lincs Racing (Artillery Row, Boston) is offering the following odds on the match:

80 minutes: Boston 5/6 to win; 14/1 tie; Bedford 6/5 to win.

Outright progress to quarter-finals: Boston 4/5, Bedford evens.

Boston’s under-17s will play a curtain raiser against Bedford Swifts under-17s before the big match when kick-off will be at 2.30pm. All support will be welcome to cheer on the team. Food and refreshments will be available from noon.

West Norfolk 3^rd XV 35, Boston 2^nd XV 24

Boston seconds took centre stage on Saturday, travelling away to King’s Lynn. But despite turning in a brave performance they slipped to defeat.

Boston, while maintaining parity in the backs, found to their cost — especially in the second half — that they did not have the forward power to match the home side.

The first half saw Boston quickly concede 10 points, a start from which they never really fully recovered. Nonetheless, under the captaincy of Ste Bourne, they mounted a fightback, first through a try by the skipper that was converted by Sam Wainwright. The latter then added a further penalty to level the scores at 10-10. A well-taken try by Max Slater shortly before half time, took the visitors into a 17-10 lead.

In the second half, Boston found that they could not establish a forward platform and obtain any quality ball for the backs. West Norfolk’s pack quickly seized the initiative and through three pushover tries, they established a wining lead. A consolation try by Adam Wright, converted by Sam Wainwright, added a degree of respectability to the final score line for Boston.

On February 10, Boston seconds entertain Bedford Swifts seconds, kick-off scheduled for between 12.30pm and 1pm in advance of the big cup-tie already previewed at the top of this article.