This was a delightful afternoon for watching rugby league with a match just over an hour away from our new Lincolnshire home.
I’ve been to Butts Park (a ground which my kids still laugh at the name of) a couple of times and despite small crowds, there is a lot to admire in terms of support and atmosphere. The supporters really get behind their team and it must be a difficult environment for visiting teams to come to terms with.
(Although I do wish the announcer wouldn’t suffix every single piece of output by booming “Come on BEARS!!!!!!!”)
The ground access does suffer from being part of a one-way system and having driven around Cov for ages we finally made it to Butts Park. It’s a lot easier to get back out to the M6 than in, that’s for sure.
Parking was a realistic £3 and admission to the ground £12 for adults and free for juniors.
We made our way into the bar where there was some good choices of ale and regular burger and hot dog fayre.
Newcastle arrived after 2pm, their bus darting past the windows of the bar, but I’ve not seen that used as an excuse in any of the comment from the match (of which more to come) and for all I know they might have just driven in from the hotel next door!
After the wife, kids and I had a bit of a throw about of our ball next to the pitch, the game started and Cov raced into a quick two try lead. This was given to them by a nightmare first 20 minutes by Misi Taluapapa who got stripped one on one 15 metres from his own try line for the first before knocking on leading to the second.
He had one of those days where the ball bounced out of his hands, hit him on the back, a general nightmare.
Thunder are one of the league favourites though and battled back with a two quick scores, one from each wing.
Liam Finn hit my youngest with a penalty to touch (she is not prosecuting Liam) before the game breaking try from another defensive error got Coventry back in front on the half time hooter.
Thunder got back within a score at the start of the second half and were pressing for the next 10-15 minutes before the home side broke from their own half only to be stopped by a fantastic tackle close to the try line.
Rather than gain morale from this brilliant bit of defending, Newcastle conceded later in the set and that was how the scores remained despite some late pressure.
As we walked down the touchline to get to the exit the visiting players seemed angry with their performance and the result but there was nothing to suggest that Jason Payne would be removed from his post.
On another day that match could have comfortably been an away win, something the Bears were keen to celebrate at the end of the match. They knew how well they’d played and that they’d edged a close one.
All in all it was a really good afternoon in this balmy February heatwave we seem to be having. The quality of the play was a high level and the number of tries scored made it value for money.
We’ll be back.
But hopefully not to get hit on the head by a ball…