East Lothian Courier | Sport | Rugby round-up: PL sneak the points with last-gasp try

Published: Thursday, 13th December, 2007 09:30

Rugby round-up: PL sneak the points with last-gasp try

Preston Lodge 19, Dalziel 14

THE Pennypit crowd were treated to another thriller between these two sides in a match where the lead changed hands four times and PL nicked the points right at the death to end a four match run without a win.

Late changes to the team were enforced when Andrew Clark failed a fitness test, but the pack welcomed former captain Ewan Thayne as he returned to PL colours after several seasons playing in England.

PL drew first blood after only seven minutes when the ball was fed to the backs on the halfway line.

Centre Jonathan Brash’s excellent dummy and feint out-foxed his opponent allowing him to break clear before cleverly kicking the ball over the try line where Ali Wood just beat him and a defender to the touch down.

Dalziel went back on the attack almost immediately and Hill had two unsuccessful penalty kicks at goal as PL continued to transgress as they struggled to win the ball.

Dalziel hit back after 25 minutes to level the scores as their pack drove over the line and they took the lead with four minutes remaining in the first half with a long-range penalty from Hill.

But PL had the last word in the half after an excellent restart when a great move through several phases on the Dalziel try line saw Chris Dixon squeeze over for a try that was converted by Graeme Patterson.

It took the visitors until the 15th minute of the second half to narrow the gap with another penalty from Hill as PL struggled in the scrum against the big Dalziel forwards.

The final twists and scoring in what was a very competitive game between two evenly matched teams was reserved for the final five minutes.

It was the visitors who were attacking in the PL 22, trying to manufacture an opening that would allow them to regain the lead.

Ali Wood was adjudged to have been offside when he scored a fantastic solo try before Hill kicked another penalty to take the visitors into the lead again.

But the determined PL players kept their heads up and went for glory with the last play of the game.

Captain Johnny Morrison took the brave decision to kick to Dalziel’s five metre line where the pack drove from the line-out for Bronson Wharehinga to score.

Hamilton 19, Haddington 12

HAMILTON finally ended the Scarlets’ promotion hopes with a victory in a match dominated by the terrible weather conditions.

Both the players and spectators were relieved to hear the final whistle and retreat to the warmth of the clubhouse to restore some heat to numb bodies following a match with little quality on display.

The game was only briefly brought to life through an impromptu mud-wrestling contest between Scarlets hooker Craig Harrison and his opposite number, which brought a smile to the faces of the otherwise forlorn supporters.

The weather on arrival at Hamilton was anything but welcoming and torrential wind, rain, hail, sleet and snow proved to be the main feature of a grim afternoon.

Hamilton opened the scoring on seven minutes with a penalty from scrum-half Strydom, but Haddington responded with a try from scrum-half Sam Johnston when he found a gap to score under the posts. Brock Gibbon converted to make it 7-3 for the Scarlets.

The home side regained the lead with an unconverted try on 15 minutes from wing-forward Karalus following sloppy play by Haddington and the score stayed the same at half-time despite pressure from the visitors.

Two minutes into the second half Hamilton increased the lead with a Strydom penalty and another by the confident kicker took the score to 14-7 on the hour mark.

Haddington then pulled a try back from their best move of play in the game when Graeme Waugh barrelled over. The conversion was missed.

But Hamilton dominated the remainder of the last quarter and secured the win with a try right on the final whistle for a deserved victory.

Hillhead/Jordanhill 13, Musselburgh 7

THE shocking conditions the game was played in weren’t as bad as the result for Musselburgh who were beaten by the bottom club from Glasgow who recorded their first win of the season.

The game was played in appalling conditions and what little rugby was on show was played by the hosts.

Musselburgh never showed up until the latter stages of the match, but it was a case of too little too late as conditions were not helpful for catch-up Rugby and the Burgh line-out was simply not successful and must improve.

Hillhead scored all their points in the first half with the opener coming from the boot of Torbett who slotted a penalty between the sticks from 10 metres as the game entered the second quarter.

Twaddle notched a second penalty before McMillan touched down after the Hillhead pack drove Musselburgh back over the try line. Twaddle converted for the extra points.

Conditions had worsened by the time the teams came out for the second half as Burgh sought to claw their way into this tough battle.

And they managed to get behind the hosts after 28 minutes when Clark spoiled a Hillhead scrum seven metres from their try line and handed the ball to ball to Porteous who dotted down. Wells converted for the extra two points.

Burgh’s tails were up following the score, but Hillhead held on for their first victory of the campaign.

Ross High 46, Penicuik 15

RESURGENT Ross High cemented their title credentials following a crushing win over Penicuik on Saturday.

And their recent good form has seen the crowds flock back to watch the team with president Scott Glynn reportedly happy with the returning fans and busy club-house.

The Tranent side continued their recovery with their eighth win in a row and secured another bonus point, keeping them within three points of league leaders Hawick Linden.

Ross started running up the slight slope into the wind and Michael Patterson secured the first points with his usual direct and strong running.

This was quickly followed by his second after a loose pass went to ground and was superbly picked up on the run. Jones converted to make it 12-0.

Penicuik dug in at this stage to keep the score down, but Ross maintianed the fast-paced rugby and Jones’ kicking was again brought to the fore when he sent over a cross-field kick for young Sydney Davis to pick up and scamper his way across the line.

The Ross forwards were dominating and created space for captain Hutchison to make a fine break and score, while McDonlad, McCrann and Davis held the line well before Jones grabbed another try just before the break.

Penicuik bravely fought their way back into the match in the second half and pulled two tries back, both from the right wing.

But Ross replied with a fine effort from coach Graham Paris and a penalty from Jones before the visitors scored the final try of the day.

Dunbar 6, Hawick Linden 23

LEAGUE leaders Hawick Linden proved better equipped to deal with the cold conditions at Hallhill on Saturday as they held on to top spot with a convincing win over hosts Dunbar.

An icy cold wind and continuous rain took its toll on the quality of play on offer and the better part of the game was flat, with most players trying hard just to go through their paces in the wintry conditions.

This was evident in both sides who were guilty of dropping passes at the crucial moments of attacking moves.

On the plus side for Dunbar there was excellent defence round the fringes of the breakdown and scrums, but with both backs and forwards lying too flat in attack there was a lack of flair when going forward.

Neither team looking capable of crossing the other’s try-line in the first half where the only scores came from a penalty apiece, both awarded for offside infringements. Keiran Donellan kicked the points for Dunbar.

The second half began disastrously for Dunbar when, from the kick-off, they failed to secure the ball which squirted into the grateful hands of a Hawick forward who powered his way in for a try, which was converted.

The score changed the game entirely and Hawick resorted to a kicking game with good effect before the home side gifted another try.

Dunbar showed spirit in the final quarter and were rewarded with three points from a penalty, but Hawick countered this with one of their own to re-instate their lead.

Another two penalties sealed the win for the league leaders after Dunbar were reduced to 14 men late in the game following a controversial decision by the referee.

Broughton 10, North Berwick 0

BROUGHTON leap-frogged North Berwick into fourth place in the East League following a 10-point victory in a forgettable match.

Even the ducks were relieved when the ref blew for full-time in a match played in atrocious conditions. The only highlight for North Berwick was some solid tackling from MacNair and Macauley.

NB’s lighter pack struggled to contain Broughton’s mauls throughout the game and the home side forced a try from one on 25 minutes before their forwards took control again for the second after the break.

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