Linlithgow 18 Dunbar 17

DUNBAR fell to a last-minute defeat at the hands of Linlithgow on Saturday.

Mark Coull was without a number of key players, and handed first starts to wing Rory Wood and scrum-half Thomas Salkeld, while Connor McLellan, Robbie Brown, Ally Brown and Ben Cairns were all recalled to the pack.

Linlithgow full-back Jack Frame missed two early penalty attempts, before Dunbar scored the first try of the match through Sandy Thomson after strong running by Brown and veteran Jamie Peters.

Ross Charlton converted to give Dunbar a 7-0 lead, before Frame got the hosts on the board with a penalty on the stroke of half time.

The home side had enjoyed most of the ball in the first half, with Thomson making a last-ditch intervention to deny them a first-half try, and he repeated the feat early in the second half.

Dunbar then had a man sent to the sin bin, much to the frustration of the travelling support, and they fell behind after Ronaldson crashed over for Linlithgow.

Frame converted, before Charlton kicked a penalty to level the scores at 10-all.

Coull's men re-took the lead when Brown broke clear inside his own half, and sprinted clear to score underneath the posts, beating a few Linlithgow defenders to touch down.

Charlton converted to give Dunbar a seven-point cushion with just six minutes remaining.

From the kick off, the Linlithgow winger broke through to storm upfield, and they worked the ball wide to score in the corner.

Frame missed the conversion, but the gap was reduced to a point.

The hosts attacked once more straight from the restart, and Frame was presented a chance to win the game after Dunbar infringed late on, which he duly converted to seal a dramatic victory.

Dunbar now have a week off, before they take on Leith in the BT Edinburgh Shield at Hallhill next Saturday (November 19).