HAWICK YM RFC
HAWICK YM SUPPORTERS CLUB SITE
COACHES COMMENTS CAITHNESS V YM 14TH NOVEMBER 09
After a week of trying to get a team and not knowing if the fixture would go ahead, we made the long but enjoyable trip to Thurso. My memory of our home fixture was that we played well to beat a young side and I was sure it would be different on their home patch.
It is fair to say that the 15 that took to the pitch were probably not my ideal selections, but that was what we had and we gave it our best. We came up against a very good Caithness side, who were desperate to beat us and spurned on by a large vocal support, got their own back on a couple of years of defeats at the hands of the redskins. They dominated set piece and at times completely starved us of ball. They played some first class rugby and I would go as far as to say that they are probably the best outfit we have played this year so far on all round ability. Their talented scrum half was a constant threat and made some telling breaks. Had it not been for a brilliant try saving tackle from Sean, he would have scored the try of the match starting from well inside his own half.
The second half was slightly better for us and we threatened their line on several occasions. Archie went close after a short burst (no pun intended), and although the game had long since slipped away from us, we never gave up. Our spirits were lifted when after some nice play from both forwards and backs, the ball was moved wide to young Trojan. Outside him was our super sub Fred Fraser who at 47 years old, took the pass and with very little room to work in, danced up the touchline and dived in at the corner to score. Now I am not saying Fred was in touch but a couple of cars on the adjacent road had to break to avoid him and the corner flag ended up in the hotel car park, but as Fred told the Caithness supporters as he ran back “read the Hawick news on Friday”!
Getting a 50 point hammering is never nice and this was no different. But on a personal note I am glad we fulfilled the fixture, and the effort was not lacking. I am sure those that travelled had an enjoyable weekend, and thanks to all concerned for making the journey.
We have a break to gather ourselves and prepare for Highland at home, when I hope to follow in Caithness’s footsteps and gain sweet revenge!
Cheers
Stooge
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YM V Preston Lodge FP (31/10/09)
Week 10 & with the tension building a win was what both sides were desperate for. It was a lovely winter afternoon at The Haugh and even with a few major injuries to the squad, it looked the strongest squad the Ym has had all season.
Gregor kicked off towards Mansfield & was collected by the visitors, they offloaded to their stand-off and he put in a big kick up field. Gregor & Tinners were back covering and they came up the left wing and Gregor offloaded to Tinners he took a big hit but with the help of our forwards managed to drive into the PL half. Moments later Ym won a scrum for squint lineout ball from PL. Mouse with quick thinking went blind and fed Shaun who kicked ahead and it was a foot race to the line which Shaun won and touched down for an early score for Ym, Gregor failed to convert 5-0 Ym. From the restart PL held Ym in their own half and managed to turnover ball, they progressed to the 5mtr and then won a penalty. They elected to kick at goal and converted to reduce the deficit 5-3. On 14mins Mouse made a cracking run through the middle and he fed Hoggy and he went through the defenders like a hot knife through butter, sadly the last man was that bit harder and he had to offload to stooge but he accidently knocked on. Ym forwards were playing really well especially Zoomba with his driving and ruck play. Less than 20mins before the break PL were reduced to 14 men when their man was binned for using a fist on Joe, who was injured in the incident when he landed awkwardly and that was the end of his game, Dougal came on to replaced him and the match restarted. Moments later Hoggy was upto no good again and he got the lads into the PL 22 and won a penalty for offside, Gregor converted and increased the Ym lead 8-3. The Ym were battling away with good moves from Stooge & Ed through the middle and Tinners & Gregor down the wing as well and the more they got the ball the more you thought they could break them down and get another try. With Ym in possession Stooge came across the park towards the changing rooms and fed Tinners, he kicked ahead and made a great dart towards the line with 3 defenders to beat and he did so to touch down for a try, Gregor converted to make it 15-3 Ym. Just before the half Tosh gave away a penalty for impeding the PL forwards they went for goal and converted 15-6. That brought the scoring to an end for the 1st half.
PL kicked off the 2nd half and Hoggy got the ball right away and broke through the PL defence with only the Full Back left he took the tackle and the ball was turned over. For the next 10-15mins it was pretty harem scarem stuff and some desperate defending from the forwards. PR cleared a ruck ball deep in their own half right up into the Ym half and Gregor collected sold the defenders the dummy and darted through them all to touch down under the posts, great bit of individual play, he also converted to increase the Ym lead to 22-6. The PL squad seemed to have given their all and that seemed to knock the stuffing out of them, if that didn’t then the next play certainly did when Tinners was replaced by Glyn Davies and with his first touch of the ball went on a dart up the left wing and touched down to increase the lead even more 27-6, Gregor failing to convert. PL were trying to salvage some pride with the end looming and piled the pressure on the Ym defence they stood strong with Zoomba again. The next bit of good play was unrewarding when Parkes and Shaun were pressuring the right winger and had a slip from the big man not happened he’d have been over that tryline. The Ym were on the score board again not long after that when Stooge with a great bit of play between him & Mouse saw him go in for the Ym’s 5th try of the day and Gregor converted this time 34-6. The visitors were finally put out of their misery on the last play of the game when Hoggy deservedly on his performance during the match ended up adding to the Ym cause, whether it was forward or not the ref had a good look and played on and we certainly weren’t complaining as Gregor converted and ended the match 41-6 YM.
(We reminder that the Past Players V Committee Night Is On Saturday 28th November – Come along & support the club)
Team: G.Welsh, S.Desport, R.Trimby, S.Anderson, J/Tinlin, G.Renwick, M.Young, C.Trayner, R.Taylor, B.Lilly, R.Turnbull, A.Turnbull, R. Halliday, J.Carmichael, R.Hogg, Subs: A.Douglas, G.Davies, J.Parkes
Try Scorers: Desport, Tinlin, Welsh, Davies, Renwick, Hogg
Welsh: 4 Cons / 1 Pen
Hard to choose a MOM this week with several good performances but with some supporters help, Zoomba was elected MOM for the day, well done lad
COACHES COMMENTS YM V PRESTON LODGE SAT 31ST OCT
At last a home game, and at last a win!!
That just about sums up Saturday in a nutshell! The pre-match build up was not ideal as there was some selection mix ups, but there is much to be said about home advantage, and it certainly agrees with our players. 2 teams desperate for a win lined up but there was only ever going to be one winner! For once we started well, and managed an early try which does wonders for a team’s mindset. Credit to the opposition who came back at us and in the early exchanges it was fairly even. Our defence, which has been strong all season again held up well. The forwards, once into their stride, supplied us backs with plenty ball to dominate play. The pleasing aspect for me this week was that we made the most of the 50/50 chances that came our way, and that is what you need to do. Our handling from 1 to 15 was at times a joy to watch, and just maybe some training drills are paying off! The first half performance into a 20 point wind was very pleasing, and the way we chipped away at our opponents by working our way up the field in phases was first class.
Turning with a big wind can often have a negative slant for a team and can take a while to make use of. This is exactly what happened to us and it took us 15 mins to find our bearings in the second half. Once we got into our stride, we managed to put the game to bed, and the last 20 mins of the game was very enjoyable, and how rugby should be. It is always interesting to read the opposite teams match report, to get their take on the game. I must thank PL for the compliments they pay us.
For us there is still much to play for and I hope we can build from that win. On the pitch, there were many pleasing performances. Ed when he catches the ball and stays out of rucks, gave us another dimension in the middle. Trojan is getting better by the week, and must be loving having Ryan Hogg to follow about the park (which takes some doing)! And special mention must go to young Tinners, who can go from the boiler hoose to the wing, and never lets us down. He took his try very very well and if only he broke sweat at training who knows where he could play!
Great effort all round lads.
Stooge
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YM @ Glasgow Accies (24/10/09)
Week 9 of National Div 2 took Hawick YM to Glasgow Accies, but nobody knew the journey would take 4 hours.
YM were given a 5 minute warm up and the game rescheduled for a 15:45 kick off, the wind swirled around the stand and the rain fell frequently. YM kicked off towards the Accies clubrooms, early pressure from YM forced Accies into knocking on and the next few minutes play remained deep into the Accies half. However YM were penalised for a straight arm and Accies cleared their lines. The YM forwards were stealing good ball but resolute defending from Accies kept them at bay. 7 mins into the game and YM were awarded a penalty for offside, Gregor took the kick but the wind changed direction and the ball never came back in towards the posts.
Frustration started to creep in when the referee gave Accies a penalty to the amazement of all, and another 10yards for back chat. From the lineout Accies made a burst for the line and were denied when the ball was held up. From the 5 yard scrum Accies knocked on and YM broke out from the resultant throw in, with the ball being passed to the winger, Shaun Desport showed a clean pair of heels and left the Accies players for dead, had it not been for the winger on the far side who dashed all the way across, he was certain to score. Whilst trying to offload, the ball was knocked on and Accies were able to clear their lines. Play went back and forth but Accies never looked like they would score, half time came early in what looked like shortened play, Gregor took possession of the ball when YM looked to be awarded a penalty but the ref brought the first half to a close, 0-0.
Accies restarted the 2nd half with the wind changing direction again, YM knocked on from the slippery ball. Frustration mounted as the decisions went in favour of Accies, and instead of kicking to touch, Accies tried for goal, but the shot went wide. Accies were reduced to 10 men when the player clearly took the man out of the game. The home fans became very restless as YM managed to stifle the Accies attacks, and we wondered if a try would be scored, the closest was when Trimby kicked on a fumbled Accies ball, we are not sure if he fell short of the line but the ref brought play all the way back and awarded YM a scrum, surely a try scoring opportunity was denied them. Stooge was kicking the ball all over the park now and pinned back the Accies players, however they were keen to defend to the hilt to stop YM from scoring. Hoggy was binned for repeatedly arguing with the ref and YM were reduced to 10 men. Desperate defending was required and from the cross field kick by Gregor, Accies ran the line and broke 3 tackles, the offload in the corner produced the try, the conversion went wide. The game ended early again but once again we failed to press our advantage, we secured a great deal of ball but did not use it wisely. At least we secured a losing point but it was little consolation to the hard work put in, I am confident we will overcome them at Mansfield Haugh.
Final score Glasgow Accies 5 – 0 Hawick YM
MOM Graeme (Stooge) Renwick
COACHES COMMENTS
We headed to
The only part of the script that nobody had read was that the YM, who down they may be, but they certainly are not out!
From the kick off we took the game to Accies and found ourselves competing admirably in all departments. Our turn over ball was excellent, and we were up in our opponents faces disrupting as much of their play as we could. Our tackling in the middle kept their “have a go backs” at bay, and on the odd occasion they got through, our cover tackling, especially by Trojan, was excellent.
Not for the first time this season we fell foul to a shocker referee! The penalty count for and against is too ridiculous to list. I have a hunch that us turning up late did not help matters with him and to be honest I feel we were victims of a “homer”. I do not say this lightly and will make no apology in slating the standard of referees we are faced with. 20 minutes into the game he made a statement to our players after us querying yet another decision that it was for us to know the rules and not him. A pretty ridiculous statement in my opinion! Gregor had only 1 kick at goal all day which takes some doing considering the amount of time we spent in the opponents half. Time and time again we were pinged for something that he was unable to give reason for. It is frustrating and disheartening and I actually applaud our discipline this week because at times I felt like loosing it and I know better!!
There are lots of positives to take out of the game and had we made more of the few chances that came our way, we may have got the win. To be fair to Accies they took their try very well and that is what the game is about.
In the coming weeks there is still much to play for. I am confident that we are a threat to any team. Keep the spirit up lads and the wins will start coming.
Stooge
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YM @ Waysiders (17/10/09)
A lovely autumn afternoon in Coatbridge was where the Ym’s next away game brought them. Having played well last week could they take that into this game and earn themselves their first away win of the season.
The home side kicked off towards the town centre, Bode took the ball in well and was halted by the massive front row, Ym won an early penalty for playing the ball on the ground. Gregor took the ball but failed to reach touch and the visitors collected and went up field. Ym were then guilty of coming in from the side and the home side elected to go for touch instead of go for goal. From the 5meter line they won ball but with a player out of position for the Ym, Waysiders sneaked in for an early try, conversion was missed 5-0. Gregor restarted and put in a high ball for Hoggy to palm back, that was collected well by Zoomba and he reset the ball well, there was a good tempo about the game which seemed to suit the Ym and with a little pick and go they had good field position. Ym won a penalty just inside the Way half and a few loose tongues from the hosts earned more ground for the Ym. Gregor duly stepped up and reduced the deficit 5-3. The next few mins of play saw the ball being pinged back and forth between the backs and that seem to tire out the Home sides forwards who were gasping for breath. With the ball just outside the Ym 22, they won a penalty but some words were said to the referee who in turn changed the decision and gave the home side a penalty instead, they converted to increase their lead 8-3. Gregor restarted with a good ball for Hoggy to take in, he collected and made a good piece of play, mouse was playing some good rugby at scrum half once again, spotting where the best plays were, with Hoggy back up he made a drive towards the line halted again with those massive forwards, the ball was spread wide along the line with Billy and Shaun wide on the right, Billy collected and instead of passing to Shaun who was open to score he cut inside and slipped and knocked the ball on. (Billy Butter Fingers Is Back) With time getting on in the half the Home side were still creating a lot of pressure for the Ym despite Gregor having an attempt with the boot at goal from midfield, however unluckily for Bode, he was binned for a bizarre incident (which am sure if you ask him he’ll tell you), the resulting penalty was missed. Moments later during a scrum the Home side were reduced to 14 men as one lad threw a punch, lucky for the lad it was a yellow and not red. That brought the 1st half to a close 8-3.
Before the 2nd half started, Percy went on in place of Hoggy who dislocated his finger. Ym started off brightly and earned a penalty which Gregor converted 8-6. From the restart Zoomba won ball and developed play towards the Home 22, Mouse collected the Ball and saw a space and pinned his lugs back finished off a nice piece of play for the young lad, Gregor converted 13-8 Ym. Few pieces of play later the Ym had their dander up and could smell another try but with a bad bang to the elbow Stevo had to come off and Doug (or as he likes to be known as A.N.Other) had to come on and help out. Ym seemed to take the foot of the gas and try to conserve some energy and were nearly caught napping but good defending from Mouse and Tinners stopped the Home side levelling the match. The resulting scrum from the defending was woeful from Ym and they lost the ball, Way used quick ball and fed their 15, he punished the Ym by going in and levelling 13 all, the conversion was missed. The Home side began to slow the game down now as they were tiring now, but the game was haulted for about 5 minutes when from a lineout Bode was taken out in mid air and landed badly on his ankle, a stretcher had to be called for and that in toe ended his involvement in the match, unlucky for Stevo he has to come back on as Hoggy couldn’t even hold a ball. That seemed to knock the stuffing out of the Skins and with their heads down a kick over the top from the Home winger was missed by Trimby and the winger pounced on the ball and put the Home side back in front however the kicker missed the conversion in front of the posts 18-13, so gave the skins some hope of a comeback however slim it looked. Ym were given a penalty 9 minutes from time and Gregor attempted, but a rare thing happened and he missed, that just seemed to sum up the day the lads were having. With time almost up the Ym were under a lot of pressure looking as if they would settle for a losing bonus when there the Home 15 stepped up again and with men over on the left and tired bodies left defending they punished the Skins again and earned themselves a bonus point victory as when the conversion was kicked and missed the ref called time. 23-13 Full time.
Not many positives to take out of the game probably the solo effort from Mouse and a few wee bit here and there. Gregors kicking again keeping us up there in the game most of the way. To the injured players only time will tell how bad they are, I expect Bode to be missing for a few weeks.
M.Young solo try and MOM
Gregor with 2 Pens / 1 Con (missed 1 pen and drop)
Coaches Comments WD v Hawick YM
On the back of a pleasing if not winning performance against Greenock last week, we travelled away to WD to hopefully get our season back on track. Our "away" record so far this season was 0 from 3 so it was a huge game for us, as they all are. Yet again as the kick off approached, I was happy with the build up, and the team focus, and was confident we could take something from the game. My perspective on things this week may be slightly different, as I had to play, but I firmly believe for 60-70 mins of each week we have played, we are doing most things right, and setting ourselves up to put the game to bed. Our forwards are winning more than our share of ball and at times are playing very well. The loss of our captain and the influential Ryan Hogg did not help matters, but young Trojan stepped up and put in his best performance this season. The effort from the players is not questionable, but things are starting to go against us and I think the frustration showed on Saturday as we froze at a crucial part of the game. We then start to force things and loose our shape and there is no fluency to our game. We are maybe not blessed with too many game winners and it is going to take a huge team effort to get back on winning ways.
Yet again we came up against opponents who were stronger than they had been in previous games, a referee who did not let anything go and a ball that bounced everywhere bar a ym players hands. I realise I am probably starting to sound boring but this is what happens when you get into a losing rut. Every man and his dog seems to be against us and we are looking around trying to blame something or somebody. We need to pick ourselves up from the last few weeks and find our game again, for 80 mins.
Numbers at training are starting to drop and this is not helping. 6 on a Tuesday night makes it difficult. We have lost one of our most experienced forwards to Hawick 1st xv apparently, and our Captain is out for at least 8-10 weeks.
The next few weeks will make or break our season and I urge the remaining players to remain committed to the cause.
Cheers……Stooge
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YM V Greenock Wanderers (10/10/09)
YM kicked off match 7 towards Mansfield Park the ball was collected by Hoggy and thrown back towards Zoomba who drove forward, a ruck was formed and Ym tried slow ball, they managed to pick and drive into the Green 22 where they were given a penalty. Gregor put boot to ball and won a lineout. Hoggy got a good hand in the lineout to palm the ball back and Josh fed across the line to Trimby who made a dart down the wing but ended up being bundled into touch inside the 22. Green won lineout ball and cleared their lines. On 7mins Green won a pen inside the Ym half but missed the kick, but moments later on the other side of the field they were given another pen and the lad missed again. In the space of 10 more mins on the park Green managed to gain another 2 pens this time the lad converted both to give the visitors a 6-0 lead. Ym were playing pretty well it was just the end product that was escaping them. From the restart Gregor launched a high ball and Hoggy got under it and managed to develop play for the Skins. Ym were cutting the ball back towards the big players drawing spaces in the field which they might have been able to penetrate but with a loose hand playing on the ground the referee gave them a pen, Gregor duly stepped up and did what he does best and decreased the deficit 6-3 to Greenock. Greenock were reduced to 14 men about 10mins before the end of the half when they pulled down the ruck at the tryline, Ym had driven the visiting pack back from just inside halfway right upto the 5mtr and the visitors pulled the ruck down, the referee gave a penalty and sent the infringing player to the bin for the rest of the half. Gregor stepped up and levelled the match 6-all. With 5mins before the half Ym were on the back foot with Green pilling the pressure on despite having a man light. They managed to drive into the 5 and with some inspired defending Zoomba managed to win the ball back and Ym could clear their lines. From the resulting lineout Ym were penalised by the referee and Green converted 9-6 with a few mins left in the half. The restart from Gregor was a bit wayward and ended up in touch, resulting in a scrum to Green, however Ym managed to win ball and Hoggy made a run into the Green half and with a few pick and drives from the forwards, that in line set up Gregor for a drop goal which he converted to bring an end to the half 9-all.
Green restarted the match with the Ym now heading towards the Albert. Into the second half with both teams back to 15 men. Ym lost Ryan Halliday to injury he took a blow to the lower ribs and had to be subbed. Ym had a scrum and they fed to Gregor who attempted a drop kick but missed and the ball went out on the full. Most of the play from the Skins was through Gregors kicking and Hoggys runs through the middle and bullying the Green defenders. Gregor was given a penalty on the halfway line with no wind to help or hinder him this week he got a strong boot on the ball and slotted it between the sticks to give the lead to give Ym the lead for the first and only time in the match, 12-9 Ym. It wasn’t long though when the visitors levelled the match then increased the lead with 2 quick penalties to make it 15-12. Ym were creating great opportunities and just losing out with the odd loose hand or ball toss. The lads were beating the visiting lads for pace down the wings and had the referee not stopped the play for a suspect forward pass then Hoggy would have been away down the left wing with no one in sight to stop him scoring. Sadly that wasn’t the case and the play was brought back. With another silly loose hand in the ruck the referee penalised the Ym again and Green increased their lead over the Skins to 18-12. With time running out and bodies looking a little battered with all the hard work being put in, the Skins won a penalty just inside the visitors half and Gregor elected to kick to touch after a long discussion with Bode, knowing that a converted try was required to swing the game again. With the resulting lineout Hoggy was pulled down in the air and landed on his hooky with the Greens man but the referee decided to give the visitors the penalty for pulling down in the lineout which didn’t go down well with the home support on the scoreboard side. The visiting touch line was getting a little heated with the number of penalties given by the referee and it wasn’t long before he gave another to the visitors and their kicker stepped up and increased the lead to finish the points scoring for the day 21-12 Greenock. With one last rally nearing the end of the match the Skins tried to work their way into the Green half then on into the 22 and a loose pass to Rummel was dropped as he would have managed to go in for a try. (no-one was gonna catch that ball) That managed the vistors to clear their lines and bring an end to the match 21-12 Greenock Wanderers.
Very good tense match and the lads more than matched the league leaders for an hour’s play. Gut wrenching stuff come the final whistle to play a great game and not even pick up a point. Unlucky lads, am sure you will pick yourselves up for next week’s trip to Waysiders, they’re a stuffy side but i’m sure we can get a win on the road and get us back on track again.
Gregor with all the points 3 Penalties & 1 Drop Goal.
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YM @ Cambuslang (3/10/09)
Week6 in National 2 brought the Ym to the West Country again. With a gale force wind angling across the field it was the home side which got the match under way kicking deep into the Ym 22, Bode collected and set up a ruck, a pick and drive down the left wing was penalised by the referee, what for is still unknown to us but it gave the home side an early chance at goal which they converted 3-0. From the restart the ball just managed to go 10 and the ref gave a scrum to Cambuslang for a knock on. The home side managed to get play upto half way and a gap opened up in the Ym defence down their left wind, the centre kicked ahead and it was a race to the line which the home lad managed to win and touchdown, the conversion was missed just skimming the right post, a good effort considering the wind, 8-0 Cambuslang. On 15mins the Ym had their most sigrificant piece of play when they had a good ruck ball and Josh fed along the line to Shaun on the right wing and he was beating his opposite number for pace but running out of field, he kicked ahead and chased up the wing, with another little kick knocked the ball over the try line and he beat the covering man for pace and touched down. Great solo effort from the young lad, Gregor with a just as good effort converted (it seems to be the harder they are the easier they look for the Count.) 8-7 Cambuslang. On 20mins Ym made a change with Joe coming on and Jamie who was struggling came off, that was short lived when Mouse got a banging to the thigh and Jamie had to come back on. 10mins before halftime ref awarded a penalty to the home side and he wasn’t far away with his effort once again the wind playing a big factor in kicking, which the home side were more than using to their advantage pegging the Ym deep in their own 22 on various occasions. Just before the half, Mouse came back on and Stooge came off. 8-7 Cambuslang halftime.
2nd half Gregor restarted the match, with the wind slightly in our favour this was the chance we needed to batter the home sides defence. Much of the early play was in midfield with a lot of basic errors. There wasn’t much to report scoring wise early doors in the half only the odd break would be thwarted by a bit off ball killing by the home side but not spotted by the referee, much to the annoyance of all the Ym players/staff and support. With an hour played in the match the Ym were given a penalty for pulling down in the lineout. Gregor attempted a penalty and converted for the Ym to take the lead for the first time in the match, 10-8 YM. With the wind changing direction giving the home side an advantage they used that to their advantage and pegged back the lads in their own defence again, Rummel the star man with some desperate defending. The last 10mins of the match the lads seemed to implode and their auld enemy aka their back chatting to the referee started kicking in and the referee just added salt to the wound and gave more possession to the home side. They attempted a kick at goal but the wind hooked it wide left, but minutes later the same old happened more infield this time and a little closer, the home starlet stepped up again ans slotted it between the sticks, 11-10 Cambuslang. Gregor took a quick restart and Ym collected but knocked on. Ym won the ball back from a ruck after the scrum and Gregor attempted a drop goal but failed miserably. In added time the Ym won a penalty at half way. The fans screamed to have a go and he duly accepted. Déjà Vu??? Not to be sadly, many would have put their wages on Gregor to convert but as he ran up to kick the ball Steven let go the ball and it began to fall before he connected and it was well short, the ball bobbled over the line and was touched down by the defence to bring an end to proceedings.
Final Score 11-10 Cambusland. Tough To decide a MOM this week but it was between Rummel & Shaun the later being decided for his solo effort try. Gregor with a con & pen to add to his tally of points this season.
M Young, S Anderson, G Renwick, S Desport, J Tinlin, J Farmer, G Douglas, A Turnbull, C Rodgerson, R Halliday, R Turnbull, S Hill, R Hogg, C Robson,
Subs: J Carmichael
Coaches Comments Cambuslang 3rd October
Week 6 saw us travel away from home, and after a stirring fight back the previous week, I was confident we could gain our first away win, all be it I would settle for 3-0! It would be all too easy to blame the wind, the ref, the journey, the lack of players etc, etc, but we need to take a good look at ourselves after Saturday and collectively make sure that kind of performance does not happen again. I don’t blame lack of effort and while our discipline at times may have cost us it’s the whole 80 mins that concerns me. Our body language and hunger to win just seemed to be lacking this week compared to last week. We were going through the motions without really doing anything. As coach, the buck stops with me and I have to question my training sessions and my pre-match build up. The frustration due to a poor referee was there for all to see, and hard though it may be to deal with, we as a team have to rise above it and focus on playing the kind of rugby we can play, and quite frankly anywhere near that would have been good enough to beat our opponents. Make no mistake they had nothing to loose and were plucky, but we all know that on our part we slipped up on Saturday. All is not lost though! As I look at our league, yes I would much rather be sitting joint second with 19 points but we are where we are. There is a long way to go and much still to play for. High flying
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YM V LASSWADE (26/9/09)
Week 5 in National Div2 saw the skins up against high flying Lasswade. Ym made changes to the squad before kickoff with Michael Clamp & Michael Graham from Hawick 2nds in the starting lineup.
Gregor kicked off towards Mansfield Park, Hilly picked up outside the 22 and the Ym tried slow pick and drives down the right side of the field. After keeping the ball in the visitors half for the early stages but lost a silly ball and Lasswade went storming up the park and cut the Skins defence right open with their number 10 crashing over for an early score which their centre converted 7-0 to the visitors. Gregor restarted and the visitors were up and running now and from all areas of the field they were a threat, their standoff being the stand out player. Ym were practically defending on their own tryline but with good defence from Rummel & Clampy kept the ball held up. Ym won ball from the resulting scrum and Gregor put boot to ball and cleared the Ym lines. Lasswade won their lineout but Ym gave away a penalty and the visitors had a kick at goal but missed. 15mins played Lasswade won a dubious penalty and kicked to touch, they won their lineout and fed the ball along the line and the winger broke a tackle to crash over to increase their lead with the conversion being converted 14-0 Lasswade. On 23mins Ym won a lucky penalty just inside the Lasswade half and Gregor converted to reduce the deficit 14-3 to the visitors. The score could have been even worse towards the end of the first half if it wasn’t for some sheer guts and determination from the Ym defence.
2nd half was restarted by Lasswade and for the first 15mins the play was being dominated by the visitors and Ym were giving away countless possession and back chatting to the referee. With Gregor in possession of the ball he kicked the ball up the park for the visitors full back to collect as the ball was passed Gregor put in a mega hit and wiped the full back clean out and that seem to fire up the crowd and the players. It wasn’t long before the Ym were surging up the park and a neat cross field ball was just outside the tryline and skippy dodged a tackle to go over for the first Ym try of the day (thats Skippy scored in every home game so far) Gregor converted 14-10 Lasswade. On 18mins both teams were reduced to 14 men as Hilly & his opposite number were binned for fighting off the ball. From the resulting scrum over on the left Lasswade used their power in the backs and increased their lead, their centre failed to convert 19-10 Lasswade. From the restart Lasswade won ball and drove into the Ym half and won a penalty, Ym were playing ball on the ground, instead of walking away some Ym lads were arguing with the referee and the penalty was moved closer into kicking range, the centre stepped up and increased the lead to 22-10 to the visitors. With less than 20 mins left Ym lost Rummel as he was binned for mouthing off at the ref. Ym won a scrum in midfield and the ball was quickly fed to Gregor and he did a neat dummy run and fooled the visiting defence and crashed over to reduce the deficit and fire up the players again, he converted and made it 22-17 to the visitors. With 12mins left deep in the Ym half Lasswade had ball and the visiting standoff put a boot into 1 of the Ym players and the referee was quite lenient and only issued a yellow card, much to the dismay of the Ym support. Gregor put boot to ball and sent it to touch in the visitors half, Ym won ball and some good play from Clampy and Zoomba picking and driving the Ym earned another penalty and Gregor converted to make the difference only 2 points with 5mins left of the match. From the restart ball Michael Graham went on a good run and earned more possession for the Skins and the ball was fed to Gregor and he attempted a drop goal which he scuffed wide. From the restart with a few mins left M.Graham once again collected and took a big hit just inside the Lasswade half and Ym won a penalty for offside. Gregor stepped up and slotted home 23-22 YM (what a great comeback) With 2mins left it was backs to the wall and it looked like Lasswade had another try on the cards but with a try saving tackle just before time by Shaun Desport, he saved the Ym losing their 100% home record. Final Score 23-22 YM
Team (M Young, S Desport, H Neish, M Graham, J Tinlin, G Welsh, J Farmer, A Turnbull, G Douglas, M Clamp, R Turnbull, C Robson, S, Hill, R Hogg. Subs C Crozier, C Rodgerson, K Miller)
Try Scorers Neish, Welsh
Welsh 3 Pens/2 Cons & MOM
Coaches Comments YM v Lasswade 26th September
As I turned up at Mansfield Haugh on Saturday, our Captain was already out warming up with the new YM jersey on. With the sun on my back I watched him for a couple of minutes and sensed his anticipation of what lay ahead. A huge game! As the build up to our game began there was a collective feeling and atmosphere among the players which was a pleasing one! I also think that the buzz from over the fence from the crowd building up to watch the famous “Hawick v Gala” fixture, and the cockiness of our pot hunting opponents fueled our players. Playing into the wind, the Ym, for the 5th week running got “stuck into” their opponents. This is a phrase that does probably not exist in my opposite coaches handbook,
as it is probably way too basic, but he may now agree it can be pretty effective! Our play in general was excellent for most of the first half. Again our forwards punched above their weight and proved their worth in the league. Our backs defended desperately against some handy players and although annoyed with one of the tries we gifted them I was happy with 14-3 at half time, and confident we could get ourselves back into the game. It sometimes does not take much to turn a game and I am convinced that an “out of character” big hit by Gregor swung things in our favour. But the game was not just there for the taking. We were playing a very good outfit with a wealth of experienced players, who had tasted higher levels. They
were very dangerous with ball in hand and it is all credit to all 18 of our players that we earned and deserved the victory. As Gregor confidently slotted the winning penalty, I found myself watching a specific supporters reaction. As I watched Pandrop jump 3 foot of the ground with clench fists, screaming words that are unprintable, I quietly reminded myself what a great club we have!
But the celebrations are now history. The show goes back on the road to Cambuslang this week. Our record away from home so far is played 2 won 0! With a bit of belief we could and should push for promotion this year. Lets sort out the discipline lads and get our first away from home victory.
Thanks to the two Michaels for their help this week and the other 16 Redskins – great effort!
Big thanks to Ice for his help.
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YM @ Kilmarnock (19/9/09)
A blustery day at Kilmarnock was where week 4 took the Redskins. Kilmarnock kicked off the match and ball was picked up by Ryan Hogg, he signalled his intent and drove up the park but was stopped at half way with a very big killie pack. Early play was being played in the home sides defence but their defence was caught lying on the wrong side a number of times but the referee failed to spot the infringements. With about 10mins on the clock Gregor attempted a drop kick from inside the 22 and it went out on the touch dead ball line. 15mins on the clock Ryan Hogg suffered a blow to the thigh and had to be replaced by Ryan Halliday Ym were given a penalty and Gregor stepped up and made the kick count 3-0 YM. 20mins on the clock a high tackle on a Kilmarnock forward resulted in a Killie penalty. Their Stand Off stepped up and blazed the kick wide. 25mins saw a nice bit of play from Stooge he kicked into space for Ed to chase onto but lost the ball 10metres out but the Killie defence were diving over the top and the Ym were giving a penalty. Gregor stepped up but missed the attempt, still 3-0 YM. A good bit of play from Steven Anderson from the restart, he ran across field passed to Gregor and he kicked ahead, the Killie defender took Gregor out but the referee failed to spot the infringement and play was turned over. The Ym managed to half the charge from Killie at half way and won ball back and Hilly went on a wee run but was held up at the 22, referee gave a penalty to the Ym for stamping in the ruck and Gregor slotted over the kick to make it 6-0 YM. From the restart Killie won ball and were given a penalty because Ym were on the wrong side. Killie reduced the lead to take the game to 6-3 YM HT.
Gregor restarted the 2nd half but his kick caught the wind and went straight out, Killie scrum on halfway. Killie developed play into the Ym half and kept Ym defending heavily but with a bit of grit and determination the Skins managed to clear their lines and got out of their own half. On 3mins Ym won a penalty just inside the Killie half for not rolling away, Gregor used the wind and buried it between the sticks 9-3 YM. On 15mins a ruck was formed just inside the Killie half and Mouse tried a cross field ball but got his foot underneath the ball and skied it, Stooge managed to get his hands on it and reset the play, Rummel took the ball down the right side and bundled his way into the 22 but a wayward pass ended up going into touch. Killie won ball and cleared their lines. Stooge picked up at the back and kicked across field for Shaun to chase and managed to haul the full back down but his cover man managed to clear ball back up pitch. Gregor won a penalty inside the 22 and he elected to kick from wide on the left touchline but it hit the right post and the full back collected the ball and booted it upfield Bode collected and was bundled down by the Killie forwards, he was guilty of holding on and Killie won a pen which they converted 9-6 YM 20mins played in the 2nd half. On 30mins a great bit of play from Hilly, Hoggy and Rummel resulted in a ruck just short of the tryline, a Killie forward was lying on the wrong side killing the ball TOSH (Not BODE LOL) hauled him out the way and the ref gave him a warning and gave Killie the scrum. When the scrum was being set the Killie Prop jammed his finger at Punters eye and he reacted with a punch which the ref saw and issued Punter with a yellow card, as he was leaving the field he swore at the ref and he brandished a 2nd yellow and the red which resulted in the Ym finishing the match with 14men. 2mins before the end Killie were rewarded with a scrum in the Ym 22 and the Killie scrum half was suspect to feeding the ball to the 2nd row and they won ball and with quick ball and with Ym a man light in the middle they penetrated the Ym defence and touched down to the dismay of the travelling support and coaches. Killie converted to make it 13-9 Kilmarnock. Gregor with the restart and Ym won ball a ruck was formed and with man over Stooge had the chance to run in but with a bit of pressure from the defender he fumbled the ball and that brought a close to the match. 13-9 defeat for the YM
To sum things up YM feel they were robbed of the win, some Killie fans would agree. Had we not missed kicks and had a bit more luck from the referee then a different outcome could have been.
Gregor with 3 Penaltys & The MOM
Coaches Comments Kilmarnock v YM 19th September
As our pre match preparation started up at a blustery Kilmarnock, for the second week running our attitude worried me. As I glanced across at our opponents my first impression was that it was going to be a tough 80 mins of rugby. They looked big, well drilled and up for it! But for the not the first time, the 15 men in red jerseys clicked into action as the ref started the game. As mentioned in the match report, the first kick off landed in Ryan Hogg’s hands and his aggressive run set up the forwards for the rest of the first half. Again we found ourselves against opponents that flattered to deceive and at times had little answer to our tenacious forward play. Yes they proved dangerous with ball in hand, but to our credit we starved them of decent ball, and our turn over at times was excellent. Such was our play, that although we only found ourselves only 9-3 up, 60 odd mins into the game, I was confident as we pressed their line, a try would "put the game to bed". How wrong I was! Certain members of our squad, do not handle the frustrating aspects of this great game we play. Inconsistent referee’s, unlucky bounces of the ball, wrong decisions taken at key plays, a dropped pass or a missed tackle, are all part and parcel of the game. To react in a negative way to these things spreads an unhealthy split among the team. Arguing amongst ourselves is simply not acceptable and contributes to our downfall at times. We done everything right for 60 mins, then we were pinged almost 60 meters for repeated penalty offences. They kick the penalty and suddenly we are the team on the back foot and under pressure. To loose a player to a red card in a moment of madness (yet again) does not help our cause. I hate to say the writing was on the wall as our opponents were playing the last quarter of the game, with a rejuvenated will to win down to our own lack of discipline and sheer stupidity. In summing up, I could not have been happier with the first 60 mins. To travel away from home and give ourselves such a strong chance of a victory is all we can aim for, but to loose in the manor in which we did, made it a real sore one for me. The guestbook talks about poor team morale. Well I would like to say that the bus journey home was one of the best I have been on. Team spirit is alive and well but it is on the pitch that it counts and that is where we are judged. It is a collective responsibility and we all have to play our part. Yet again we have to pick ourselves up and bounce back this week at home to a high flying Lasswade. No better incentive than this!
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YM V STEWARTRY (12/9/09)
A lovely day down at Mansfield Haugh was the setting for week 3 of the league campaign. Changes to the team lineup before kickoff put Gregor at Full Back, Mouse at Scrum Half & Stooge at Stand Off.
Gregor got the game underway kicking towards the Mansfield end. Ym won ball and drove a few metres up the field, Stewartry were penalised for playing ball on the ground and Gregor kicked for touch but missed and the ball went out over the dead ball resulting a Stewartry scrum. Ym showed their strength in the pack and pushed the opposing pack off the ball, quick ball by Mouse to Stooge running through a gap but knocked the ball on when being tackled. Most of the early exchanges were being played in the Stewartry half with the visitors just managing to relieve the pressure long enough for the ball to be kicked up field. On 12mins the first points were recorded when a good bit of picking and driving was rewarded when Bode went in for his first try of the season Gregor converting 7-0 YM. A good pick and drive from Jamie in the next passage of play was unrewarding as a resolute Stewartry managed to hold the ball up and stopping the Ym from increasing their lead, but that effort was short lived when Gregor went in over on the right to increase the lead and also convert his try 14-0 YM. On 25mins the Skins were up and running and nothing but the referee could stop them putting more points on the board and it wasn’t long before they did when R.Trimby was given the ball and sneaked through a few defenders and increased his try tally for the season, Gregor converted to make it 21-0 YM. The visitors managed to gain a bit of ground and won a penalty just inside the Ym 22 and their Stand Off converted to reduce the deficit 21-3 YM. On 35mins the Ym increased their lead and that all important bonus point with a solo effort from Ryan Hogg. He bullied his way past several defenders to go in the right side, Gregor missed conversion 26-3 YM and that was how the 1st half ended.
Stewartry restarted the match with a quieter crowd as many people had jumped the fence to watch the 2nd half of the Hawick game. Ym collected the kickoff and Mouse fed a quick ball to Stooge who booted it towards the Albert and with Hilly & Shaun chasing they managed to bundle the defender into touch. Ym won their lineout and Hilly found a gap and went over for the Skins 5th try of the afternoon, Gregor failed with the conversion 31-3 YM. From the restart the visitors started to win a few more balls and decisions from the referee and gradually started to break down the defence but with tries needed they chose touch with their pens instead of kicking at goal. With 15mins played of the 2nd half Ym were reduced to 14 men when Hilly was interfering with play, the referee had just spoken to both captains earlier in the match about the matter and Hilly was sent his marching orders. The next session of play seemed to be more in midfield and the Ym were holding their own even with a man lighter. Next play saw Hoggy and Skippy using their pace down the left wing but the final pass was knocked on. On 23mins a referee decision was questionable when the ball was out with the Scrum Half’s hands on ball and Hoggy ran in tackling and escaped with the ball with no one in sight, but the referee pulled back play deeming him offside and gave the visitors a penalty on halfway. With just under 10mins left of the match both teams were reduced to 14 men as a loose arm from the Stewartry No.8 connected with Punter and he reacted, giving him a bunch o fives for his troubles, for both lads that was the end of the match for them. Once the situation had calmed down it was back to business for the rest of the lads and they stepped it up once again with some great driving play from Hilly & Hoggy and with tired legs and mind in the visitors defence Hoggy once again bullied his way past the Stewartry back and notched up his 2nd try of the match with Gregor converting 38-3 YM. With time running out Ym freshened things up and brought Badger & R.Taylor on, they were both in the action from the off when they helped drive the ball back into the Stewartry half and with the ball being spread across the park Ym had numbers over on the left wing and a great run by Hilly broke the defender and a little flip pass to Skippy to go in under the stick Gregor converted to make it 45-3 and the Full time whistle.
Try Scorers: Welsh, Neish, Trimby, Hill, Robson & (2) Hogg
Welsh – 5 Cons
MOM R.Hogg
Coaches Comments YM v Stewartry 12th September
For the 3rd successive week, the YM turned out 15 players to play rugby. Again this was not as straight forward as it would seem due to a couple
of very late cry off’s. And for me things did not improve on the build up to kick off. This season’s campaign will be difficult enough on and off the pitch. I am going to use this window of opportunity to express my concern as to the state of mind certain players turn up in before a game. I personally believe attitude and mind set is at least 50% towards who comes out on top in most sport, rugby included. I do not think it is much of a request for all players to turn up on a Saturday with the correct attitude. There is a time for loose chat and banter in the dressing room, but an hour before a game for me is not that time. Pre match preparation is not only about preparing physically but also mentally. So could all players please take note and hopefully I will not have to bring this up again.
On the positive side after taking 15 mins to warm to the task, we produced our best performance of the season. The first half especially was very pleasing, securing the bonus point and completely dominating up front. Perhaps our opponents under performed, but it was still a pleasure to watch our forwards at full tilt, executing our hard work at training at times perfectly. When our forwards get going like that it makes the game so much easier. Hopefully this will give us a bit confidence after our defeat at Highland, and with our squad strengthening; we can head to Kilmarnock with no excuses.
Thanks to Jock for helping out at training and again I have to single out Gregor for his immaculate kicking display at Goal, restarts and touch.
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YM @ HIGHLAND (05/09/09)
Report By Alan Armstrong
2nd match of the season saw the Redskins travel to Inverness to take on Highland RFC.
There were a notable number of players absent, and the question was whether or not a squad could be sent. Doug Waldie pulled on his boots to make the 15th man, this meant no replacements at all and injuries are always a problem. YM kicked of with the wind at their backs and Highland quickly pressured the YM, the ball going into touch. From the lineout Highland secured the throw in with the aid of the wind and some big laddie's. YM were penalized early on for an infringement in the maul, the Highland No. 10 missed the penalty. From the dropout YM pressured and won the ball, with some good inter-play they spread the ball about, Highland were penalized for taking out the YM player. Gregor took the penalty some 5 yards inside the Highland half, but only managed a grubber kick. The ball came off a Highland player and although it went over the line YM were awarded a scrum 5. Highland secured the ball with a far heavier pack and punted up field, but were then penalized for handling in the maul. Gregor lined up once more this time 15 yards into the Highland half and slotted over to add the first points. Highland 0 - 3 Hawick YM
From the restart YM punt the ball into space, only to be picked up by the Highland No. 15 who chipped ahead. Hilly tried to get there first and claimed he got a hand on it but the ref gave the try to Highland.
They missed the conversion and YM regrouped to start again. Highland 5 - 3 Hawick YM.
Highland knock-on from the restart and YM secure some ground, however this was short lived as they were shoved off the ball, Highland chipped ahead again and scored the 2nd try. The conversion was missed, Highland 10 - 3 Hawick YM.
After a scrappy restart YM secured some good possession, Stooge kicked ahead for touch,
only to be brought back by the ref and Zoomba was sent to the bin for supposedly throwing a punch.
Ym soaked up a lot of pressure and were rewarded in the 29th minute when Highland played the ball on the ground in the maul. Gregor slotted over from 25 yards right in front of the posts, Highland 10 - 6 Hawick YM. Nearing the end of the first half, Highland No. 7 was sin binned for his 2nd high tackle.
Highland were unlucky not to go further ahead when Ym were caught handling in the maul, the penalty went wide. 37 mins into the game and Hilly went on one of his famous mazy runs, the wingers getting much needed ball now, Highland were caught offside as Gregor was injured. Stooge took the kick in front of the posts, Highland 10 - 9 Hawick YM half time score.
Highland restart the second half and the next 10 minutes play was a bit scrappy. 14 mins in and YM were awarded a penalty when no advantage from a free ball, Highland deemed offside. Stooge lined up the kick but it went well wide in the wind. Highland piled on more pressure and tried for a drop goal, it turned into a grubber but came off Doug Waldie, scrum 5 for Highland. They feed it to the blind side No. 15 who crashes over in the corner, No. 10 kicks the conversion. Highland 17 - 9 Hawick YM
From the restart YM steal good ball, Gregor chips ahead but Highland No.10 was sin binned for impeding Gregor, Stooge slots the penalty, Highland 17 - 12 Hawick YM. Ym secure good ball and from the break Rummel darts ahead of the pack but gets caught isolated and is penalized for holding on. 27 mins in and Doug Waldie is sin binned for impeding, Highland No. 10 kicks the penalty, Highland 20 - 12 Hawick YM.
Another period of scrappy play and from a kick to touch Ym are caught napping, after a quick throw in,
Highland swing the ball wide to the opposite wing and score, the conversion was missed,
Highland 25 - 12 Hawick YM.
Final score.
Gregor 2 penalties, Stooge 2 penalties
MOM Rummel for sheer determination.
COACHES COMMENTS HIGHLAND V YM 5TH SEPTEMBER
Well the long journey to Inverness was not made any easier by selection headaches, but once again 15 players pulled on the red jersey. Despite our lack of numbers and shuffled team, I still felt we could take the game to our opponents. Straight from the kick off it was Highland who dominated the early exchanges. For the second week running we conceded an early try but it was very pleasing that we didn’t panic like last week, and got stuck into the game. Highland flattered to deceive and once we settled into our game they were not doing much to trouble us. The odd silly mistake by us gifting them some chances, and they made the most of them, for which I give them credit. There was no lack of effort from us and I applaud all players, but I think the last twenty minutes may have been different if we had the luxury of a couple of subs. All our points came from the boot and unlike the Caithness game, we seldom threatened the Highland try line. Our pack again worked hard and produced plenty ball for the backs. Our set play was not the most consistent I have seen and this is something we must get right, as it is a big part of the game. I felt the backs tried to move it when they could but to be honest we lacked a bit of penetration. Thanks to Brian McGuin and his twin Doug for helping out. One defeat is by no means the end of the world and we can get things back on track this week. Well done to Mouse who had his best game in a YM jersey.
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YM v Caithness (29/08/09)
Report By Sandman
Opening day of the rugby season saw the Redskins up against a very hard working Caithness.
Caithness kicked off towards Mansfield park with a stiff wind in front of them, they put the YM
defence under quick pressure and had them pinned in their own 22, quick ball from their backs
secured early bragging rights for the travelling team with only a few mins on the clock 5-0
Caithness. YM restarted through Gregor Welsh sending the ball deep into the Caithness
defence. Ball collected by R.Hogg who went on a trademark run knocking defenders all
over the place, he eventually offloaded to player/coach G.Renwick who cut in and
touched down but the referee had deamed the ball knocked on, play resumed back at the
5m for a put in to Caithness. On 6mins YM use their strength to push the Caithness scrum
back and win scrum ball and drive towards the tryline, good defence by Caithness to keep the
ball up and prevent the Skins from scoring. 15mins with the pressure piling on the Caithness
defence YM forwards use their strength and drive all the way up the park, the ball fed along the
line but silly handling errors were the only thing preventing the YM winger M.Young from
scoring. Once again the YM pushed their oppenents off the resulting scrum and it was
R.Hogg who went across the line and brought the scores level, G.Welsh converting
7-5 YM. Moments later Welsh increased the score with a penalty from the Caithness 22.
10-5 YM. 16mins played Welsh drops over another penalty after Caithness are guilty of offside
13-5 YM. Scrum half J.Farmer was making sum cute plays just before half time with
R.Hogg and S.Hill supporting. With the last few plays of the half YM had a break
and went in on the left side for a try by R.Trimby, Welsh missed the conversion 18-5 YM HT.
YM restarted the 2nd half with a gale in their faces. Most of the YM play during the first period
was through A.Turnbull & S.Hill driving up the park. Caithness were using the ball well when
YM made countless errors with handling and were rewarded when their Scrum half pinned his
lugs back and dived over for a try and their full back converted 18-12 YM. 20mins into the
2nd half Caithness had their prop sinned for constantly interfering with play on the wrong
side. Welsh increased the YM lead with a close range penalty to make it 21-12 with 15mins
left. Caithness full back reduced the lead again with a mid range penalty for diving in 21-15.
A drive from deep in the YM half into the Caithness 22 was rewarded when M.Punter bullied
his way to the tryline and ball was picked up by H.Neish to score, Welsh converted with
about 10mins left 28-15. Caithness replied very quickly with a deep ball chased by their backs
and an error by the YM defence gave the travelling side a well earned fight back. 28-22 with
about 5mins left of the match. Both defences soaked up a lot of pressure but in the end the
match ended 28-22 YM. A spirited fight back from the visitors but a win in the end for the YM.
Man of the match was selected by Mr.Barker and he chose Steven Hill for his maisy runs.
Try Scorer: Hogg, Trimby & Neish
Welsh: 2 Cons/3 Pens
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Linden v YM (22/8/09)
Report by SandmanWith a warm and sunny afternoon at the volunteer park the scene was set for a
lovely game of pre-season rugby.
Linden No.10 Barry Sutherland started the match kicking towards the college.
YM collected the ball and developed play towards the Linden half. After a few
scurrys with the ball Linden collected the ball in their own half but were
held up at half way by the YM forwards which resulted in the first PEN of the day for
holding on. Gregor stepped up to kick the ball to touch in the Linden 22. YM won
their lineout and drove towards the line, a ruck was formed and the ball was fed
out along the line but a handling error by the backs gave Linden the chance to clear
the ball up field. 6mins on the clock was when the first points were posted, Linden
were punished when 1 of their forwards was coming in from the side. Gregor
stepped up and duly converted to put the YM 3-0 up. Linden restarted the game
with a short ball and was knocked on by the YM forwards. Linden scrum was
pushed off the ball and YM picked up with Ed making a darting run through the
Linden defence. The next few mins saw the YM keeping ball picking and driving
into the Linden half but not executing the final ball and giving away possession
due to silly handling errors. On 11mins a deep clearace from Gregor into the
Linden half is picked up and the Linden back make a great pick and go with a
man over on the left wing but the ball was too long and behind the winger.
The Linden winger is forced into touch by the covering defenders. For the next
10 mins the possession was exchanged but ended in handling errors by both
teams. On 22 mins a great combination play by Gregor piercing the Linden
defence which was supported by Skippy who offloaded to Lee but sadly when
into the Linden 22 was forced into touch. The first casualty of the day came on
24 mins when Jamie took a knock on the head (probably wont stop him gawn
oot the nite) and Badger took his place. 27 mins saw the Linden were start to
get rattled by the YM forwards as a bit of petulence set in. Once again with the YM
they went on another run and were left without scoring as more silly errors with the
final ball. With the resulting Linden scrum on their own 5mtr the Ym scrum pushed
them off the ball again and drove towards the tryline ball was fed out along the line
to Hilly who fumbled the ball but the Ref brought play back because the Linden
defence were offside. Ym decided to take the scrum as they were stronger and
pushed towards the tryline. The ball eventually driven over the line by Hilly. Great
scrum and driving play by the Skins. Gregor converted 10-0 YM.
8mins to play of 1st half, for the rest of the half Linden were under severe pressure
from runs by Gregor, Lee, Skippy & several of Hilly's fearless runs. With halftime
looming Linden put in a last gasp charge for the YM line with a great run by their
no.10 Barry Sutherland and prized open the YM defence a ruck was formed
15mtrs out and Hilly was guilty of playing the ball on the ground. Linden no.10
Sutherland stepped up and converted the penalty to bring the 1st half to an
end 10-3.
Second half got under way by the YM with a kick that was borderline for going
10mtrs Linden won ball & spell of kicking back & forth took place(yawn)
3mins into the 2nd half Linden were guilty of playing ball on the ground and
Gregor stepped up from just inside halfway and slotted the ball between the
sticks 13-3 YM. A spell of Linden domination for the next 7-8mins were halted
by good defencive play by the YM lads. 12mins Stooge came on to freshen
things up and with that YM won ball at the lineout with a great take from Ryan
and was fed to Martin and he drove forward, ruck was formed and the ball fed
out to Lee who was forced out at the Linden 5mtrs. 15mins into the half and
Gregor making a trademark dummy fools the Linden forwards and if finally
stopped 5mtrs short of the tryline, the ball then fed out to Mouse who fed Lee
who cut inside and side stepped the last defender and got his name on the
scoresheet. Gregor converts to make is 20-3 YM. For thenext 10mins there
was a lull in play where there was only the odd dart from Hilly and Lee.
30mins into the half and Linden were getting themselves back into the game
piling the pressure on the Ym defence. Much of which was sent back down the
park by Gregor. With the ball deep in the Linden half their no.14 went for a driving
run down the left wing and cut the YM defence open and finished off befween the
sticks deserving of a round of applause by both sets of fans. Sutherland
converted to make it 20-10 YM. 32mins Gregor was forced off with an injury after
making a lunging tackle and came off worse. For the next 8 mins the YM were under
more pressure and with great defensive tackles stopped surging runs from Lindens
no.14 once again. With time almost up a surging run down the right wing by Hilly and
Shaun saw an opening in the Linden defence and it was Shaun who fed Hilly and ran
through cutting inside and offloading to the one and only Skippy to finish off the match
with the last touch of the game. 25-10 Ym the match finished. To sum the match off a
well played game by both teams and a gd warm up to the season opener at the Haugh
next saturday. Hopefully all knocks picked up today by Joe, Gregor, Jamie & Ed will be
clear next week.
Todays MOM goes to Hilly, he was everywhere getting stuck in and worrying the Linden
defence.
Try Scorer Hilly, Lee, Skippy
Gregor 2 Pens/2 Cons
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Stewarty
Ym made the long journey to Castle Douglas to play the final league game of the season. They had to win with a bonus point and Linlithgow had to lose away to
In perfect conditions Stew got the game underway and their standoff overcooked things by put his drop-out too far resulting in a scrum back at the halfway line. From the scrum Ym had their first chance when quick ball was fed along the line to Glyn but unfortunately he knocked the ball on.
Stew had a chance to open their account in the 10th min. when YM were penalised at a line-out, fortunately for the Ym the Stew kicker was off target.
Coming up to the 15th min Glyn took a quick throw in to Lee and he went on one of his days many piercing runs but as he touched down he was deemed to have lost possession.
A couple of mins later it was again Lee who broke through the Stew defence and touched down but the ref again disallowed the try, think the ref said he was held up. From the resulting 5m scrum Ross picked up at the base and set up a ruck, quick ball was fed to the backs and it was that man Lee who ghosted between the Stew defence for a try that the ref on this occasion had no option but to award. Gregor added the con.
Ym were at this point playing good rugby with backs and forwards combining well, at times it was difficult to know who were the backs and who were the forwards.
Only downside was at the scrums, with no recognised hooker, getting clean ball was a problem and poor Skippy was being given a torrid time by his opposite number.
Coming up to the half hour Stew began to put a few phases together but the Ym defence was more than a match for everything that was thrown at them.
It was Stooge who relieved the pressure when he broke out of his own 22 and released his backs, a certain try was on with a huge overlap advantage but the ref blew the whistle for a late tackle on a YM player—strange decision.
Just coming up to the break Stew were pressing for a try close to the Ym line, but in a bit of loose play Bode won possession and fed the backs who quickly got the ball to Glyn who set off on a 90m run beating first a flying prop and then the full-back before touching done between the sticks for a converted try. It was a great run but Glyn was a little disappointed when the YM linesman (DH) passed him and was in fact waiting for him as he crossed the try-line.
Half time came with no further scoring.
Dean got the second half underway and Stew cleared up field, the ball failed to find touch and it was Glyn who fielded and went on a run beating nearly the entire Stew team down the touchline before putting in a wee kick-a-heid but unfortunately the ball bounced into touch just short of the try line.
The game as a spectacle was very stop go with the ref. stopping play as often as he could, think this was so he could catch up with play.
After a few minutes of the half Stew moved into the Ym 22, Ym won a scrum but Stooge knocked on in front of his posts and for the next few mins Stew pounded away at the YM line before they themselves knocked the ball on when a try looked certain.
However, soon after Stew did open their account when they crossed Ym line. Winning possession centre field in the YM 22 their forwards released the ball to their backs and they beat the Ym defence a bit more easily than they should've to go over for a converted try. Still wondering who Gregor was trying to tackle in his attempts to stop the move. A supporter was heard to say it was like one of Fred Fraser’s tackles.
Glyn seemed to be robbed of a try when he went on a jinking run in the 10th min, he then put in a chip into the Stew dead ball area and he seemed to have won the race for the touchdown but the ref who was nearer the Ym dead ball area at the time ruled the ball had indeed crossed over the backline and disallowed the try.
In the 15th min that man Lilly showed why he’s the best prop in Scotland, he chased a high ball and forced the Stew fullback into a mistake, from the resulting ruck Ross picked up and fed Dean who in turn fed Lee who went on a good 30m run before offloading to the supporting Billy, and with the strength of a bull and the speed of a cheetah he crossed the line with a couple of Stew players getting a free ride on his back. Gregor again added the extras.
It was all Ym now with the big Stew pack beginning to find the pace of the game not to their liking.
The bonus point try came from a poor clearance from their fullback, Ice defying his advancing years field and went on a good 30m run before being stopped, quick ball was won from the ruck and fed along the line to Lee who broke through and went on a run down the touchline, with a couple of Stew players in defence he showed his class by putting in a neat cross field kick into the Stew 22 and with a kind bounce of the ball it was Dean who collected and raced over for the try of the day. Gregor converted.
Stewarty did manage a try after 35 mins which took the final score to 28-12.
The boys did all that were required of them but when the score came through that Linlithgow had won at Caithness all the heads of supporters and players visible dropped.
19 wins and 3 loses this can only be looked at as a great season for the club at this level, and a big vote of thanks must go to Jammy who’s taken the club to a new level.
For the backs Stooge and Glyn were the pick.
For the forwards Bif and Billy were very much to the fore.
MOM this week has to go to Lee who was a danger to Stew every time he was in possession of the ball.
A big thanks to Ice and A.N.Other who stepped into the team due to the amount of injured players at the club. Believe me they didn’t just make up the numbers, they both played very well and their attitude and commitment to the game can only be a lesson to the youngsters.
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COACHES COMMENTS
For the third consecutive season it all came down to an away match on the
final day of the season.This time however the outcome was not in our own
hands and we were relying on Caithness to do us a favour.
For our part we could only do our utmost to post a bonus point win and
give ourselves an outside chance of promotion.
The previous week saw a 100/1 outsider win the National and i think
Caithness,s odds of an upset were considerably less than that but sadly it
wasnt to be.
Our patched up understrength squad did their bit at Stewartry to record
our 19th win from 22 games to accumulate a creditable 83 league
points.Ultimately that was not enough and we must take it on the chin and
move on.
Ive said before that promotion is for the best two sides over a 22 game
programme and Whitecraigs and Linlithgow were undoubtedly the best two
sides in the division and deserve our congratulations for their success.
All i can say about my own squad is that without exception they have
given everything to the club in terms of effort and committment and in
the final analysis we have just not been quite good enough.
Emotionally battered in recent weeks off the field and physically
battered on the field for the entire campaign i am extremely proud of
each and every one of them and feel priviliged to have been their coach
this season.
The strenghth of character that has been built up will no doubt hold the
players in good stead as they face the challenges in front of them in
life and in rugby.Despite the pain of not achieving our goals we must
look forward and this weeks trip to Glasgow Hawks will provide yet
another opportunity for us to pit our wits against a top side and provide
yet more valuable experience for our youngsters as they progress in adult
rugby.
Regards
Jammy
with the cup upset that was thoroughly deserved.
Unfortunately for the second week running the joy derived from the teams
showing paled into insignificance when news filtered through about young
Richard on his way home from Kelso.
I have coached Richard Wilkinson for the past two seasons with the
Borders U17 and U18 and i found him to be a well presented young man who
had terrific ability and a work ethic to match.
I was very proud to have him in our YM team for the Greenock Wanderers
game along with his friend Blair Irving and had high hopes for him in
adult rugby to achieve his potential and go far in the game.
Now my feelings are of sadness and despair as we have lost a young man
who was a credit to himself and his family.
My thoughts at this time are with Richards family and friends.
Regards
Jammy
Before the game got underway a minutes silence to the memory of Hugh Petrie who sadly passed away earlier in the week was observed. Hugh a lifelong REDSKIN will be sadly missed by all who are associated with the club.
It was the YM who got the game underway and immediately had Caith defending their try line. The only reward came in the 5th min when Gregor had a chance to open the scoring but his attempt nearly hit the corner flag instead of going between the uprights.
Play continued in the same vain for the next few mins but with a combination of poor finishing and good Caith defence Ym were unable to open their account.
Josh had to leave the field with what looked like a dead leg and Skippy move to scrum half and Dodger went onto the wing.
On the 20 min mark YM were unlucky not to score, Stooge made a half break before offloading to the supporting Glyn who was tackled just short of the line, he lost possession which resulted in a Caith scrum deep in their 22. From the scrum the scrumhalf had his clearance kick charged down by Ross who gathered and went in for the first try of the game. Gregor missed the con.
From the restart play Caith were again put uder the cosh by the Ym and it was no surprise when the went further ahead through Kieran. Stooge put up a high ball from the halfway line, Caith failed to gather cleanly and a ruck was formed, quick ball was won and Skippy fed Stooge who in turn fed Kieran and he showing a good turn of pace went over for his first of probably (Johnny Paxtons words) many tries for the club.
Just on the 35th min the Caith centre broke out of his own 22 and went on a great 60m run, he offloaded to his winger who was bundled into touch just a few mtrs short by the covering Dodger.
However it was the Ym who went further ahead coming upto the break. From a 5m scrum Gregor came into the line making the extra man and went under the posts for a converted try.
No more scoring took place and the Ym turned round 19-0 in the lead.
Caith got the second period underway but it was the Ym who were soon back on the attack.
After a few mins a scrum was won in the the Caith 22, Skippy went blind but his pass went to ground, it was Biff who seized on the loose ball and bulldozed his way over for the try. Gregor missed the con.
It was all Ym now with the long journey beginning to take its toil on the visitors.
Lee was next to score after Dodger put in a great kick down the touchline, Ross chased and nailed the fullback and a ruck was formed, Ym won possession and the ball was quickly fed to the backs and it was Lee who went over for his 7th try of the season. Gregor convered.
From the restart Gaith narrowed the leeway when the centre broke through the Ym defence and went between the posts for a converted try.
On the half hour following great linking play between backs and forwards covering a good 60m it was Biff who set up a ruck in the 22, again quick ball was won and Skippy sent in Scott for the first of his tries. Gregor converted making the score 38-7
Straight from the restart Billy went on an impressive charge before feeding Stooge who went on a run down the touchline, he in turn fed inside (he noticed he still had 15m to go--long way these days) to the supporting Skippy who went in for a converted try. Gregor converted.
Again straight from the restart Stooge put a deep kick into the Caith 22 Ross again was first on the scene and forced the fullback into a hurried clearance which only found its way to Scott who broke a couple of tired looking tackles and went over in the corner for an unconverted try.
The final points of the day came from a penalty try, Lee put in a great kick a heid (Rab take note) Glyn was going to be a clear winner for the touchdown until he was unfairly pulled back by a Caith defender. Gregor converted taking the score to 57-7
A good day for the Ym with an important bonus point being won and it puts a bit pressure on Linlithgow who travel to Caith for their last game of the season.
For the forwards Zoomba and Biff were to the fore.
For the backs the auld heids of Stooge and Skippy showed they’re still a force to be reckoned with.
MOM this week goes to Ross who put in a great afternoon covering every blade of grass on the pitch.
Must add that the wee Caith scrumhalf was very pleasing to the eye and we'll probably be seeing him in the future at a higher level.
TEAM
G.Welsh, H.Neish, L.Armstrong, S.McLeod, G.Desport, G.Renwick, J.Farmer, B.Lilly, R.Taylor, A.Turnbull, K.Willison, J.Tinlin, C.Rodgerson, B.Hill, and R.Gibson.
SUBS
A.Douglas, B.Finn and C.Robson.
This will be my last match report so if anyone out there is going to the remaining games please feel free to take a couple of pics and write a few words and I will add them to the site.
I’ve enjoyed writing the match reports over the past 6 years and if I’ve ever offended anyone –good, you probably deserved it!
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COACHES COMMENTS
The players,backroom staff and myself would like to dedicate the fine win
over Caithness to our late friend MR HUGH PETRIE.
Regards
Jammy
----------------------------------------------------
GREENOCK
YM took to the field with a team of no less than nine players under the age of 20 this was due to the huge injury list and our captain Muhammad McCracken playing fisticuffs on Sunday night, he obviously lost.
It was Green who got the game underway playing with a slight breeze in their favour but Ym through their forwards drove back into the Green half and won a scrum on the 10m line. The first scoring chance came from the scrum when the ball went along the line to Glyn, he tried a chip ahead which the Green fullback had to knock into touch, Glyn with quick thinking took a quick throw-in and the ball went along the line and it was Dodger who was stopped just short on the opposite touchline. The players were all having a wee bit difficulty with the bouncing ball on the surprisingly hard playing surface. Green eventually cleared the danger into the Ym half from a penalty award. From the resulting lineout Ym were fortunate not to concede the first try when the ball was quickly fed along the Green line and with a clear overlap the winger dropped a perfectly good pass with the try line at his mercy.
However, after 10min Green after a few mins of constant pressure on the Ym 22 line were awarded a pen in front of the posts and the stand off had no difficulty in opening Greens account.
From the restart Ym took the game to Green and maybe they should’ve scored when they had numerous pick and goes on the Green try line but credit must go to Green who held them out with some great defence.
Richard Wilkinson who was making his debut for the Ym was showing up well at stand off and was keeping the team moving in the right direction. Following some good play between Richard and Lee a ruck was formed midfield just on the Green 22, quick ball was fed to the backs and It was Gregor who with quick hands fed Rab on the wing but the pass was deemed forward. Still working out how Rab was fast enough to get in front of Gregor.
Ym were now keeping Green pinned back in their own half but unfortunately numerous attacks at the Green defence was met with equally resolute defence.
The breakthrough had to come and it it did in the 35th min when after a series of pick and goes on the Green tryline it was Ross who drove over for the first try of the game.Gregor missed the difficult con.
From the restart it was the YM’s turn to defend with Green now mixing up play between forwards and backs the Ym had to work hard to keep them out. The Green centre was in particular causing problems with a couple of great runs that maybe deserved better. No more scoring took place and it was the Ym who turned around with a 5-3 lead.
Ym started the second half and for the first few mins had Green pinned back in their own 22. However, Green cleared the danger from a penalty award up to the halfway line.
From the lineout Green put together a good drive and were rewarded with a pen when Martin took a player out without the ball. With a fine kick against a now stronger wind it was Green who went into the lead at 6-5. The lead was short lived as Green was penalised straight from the restart and Gregor with a fine kick took the Ym ahead again at 8-6.
From the restart Ym were soon back on the offensive but the Green standoff was playing well and he was clearing his lines well with some good touch finding.
After 20min it was Green who against the run of play took the lead, following a tremendous run through what seemed the entire Ym team, it was their right winger who went in under the posts for a converted try taking the score to 13-8 in their favour.
This stung the Ym into action and from the restart they had a few drives at the Green try line before releasing to the backs and with quick hands the ball found it’s way to Scott who went over for a converted try out on the left.
Ym were now dominating every aspect of play and it was Glyn Who nearly added to the score line when he kicked ahead into the dead ball area and was just beaten to the touchline by a Green fingertip.
It was Gregor who scored the third try in the 30th it was Gregor who following some loose and messy play on the Green 22, he hacked the ball on into the dead ball area and won the race for the touchdown. As he was taking the con the ball fell over, he continued his run up and somehow the ball just scrapped over the bar—never seen anything like that before and probably never will again.
Straight from the restart Bif gathered and made good yardage before setting up a ruck, quick ball was then fed along the line and it was that man Gregor who went on a run down the Green touchline before being stopped on the 22, he offloaded to the supporting Ross who went in for the easiest try he’ll ever score. I’m told that’s what happened anyway as after the most outrages dummy you’ll ever see I was following the wrong player, I thought he had passed to Ice on the touchline. To crown his day he again popped over the conversion.
Considering the age of the team this was a fine display from the Ym. Young Blair Irvine and Richard Wilkinson looked as they had played the entire season as they fitted seamlessly into the team.
For the backs Lee and Richard were the pick.
For the forwards Ross, JJ and Zoomba were to the fore.
But MOM this week has to go to Gregor for the outstanding performance.
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COACHES COMMENTS
---
A bonus point win in some style against a good Greenock side should have
been the cause for much celebration,however events elsewhere completely
overshadowed a good Redskins performance.
Our league rivals were putting Forrester to the sword in Edinburgh to
nulify our bonus point win and with only 2 games left they need only 5
points to clinch that second promotion spot that we crave so much.Hard to
see Linlithgow failing but as long as its possible we must keep the
pressure on by performing well in our own games.
Scotlands loss at Twickers was dissapointing but no where near as sad as
the Greens loss to Stirling which has meant relegation for the first time
ever.Even today there is a feeling of emptiness in me at the plight of my
former club and that feeling is no doubt shared by thousands of others as
they stare at their breakfast this morning.
The whys and wherefors will undoubtedly be explored in the coming weeks
but right now it is just incomprehensible that Hawick will take part in
Premier 2 next season.
On a brighter local note congratulations are due to the Linden who
secured their promotion from the East League to National 3.It can only
benefit the towns rugby if we have as many players playing at as high
level as possible on a weekly basis.
Next week sees another home game against Caithness which will no doubt be
a difficult encounter as was our previous meeting in Thurso.Hopefully we
can maintain our good home form and get some more important points on the
board.
Finally a big thanks to our supporters who were terrific as usual and a
pat on the back for youngsters Blair Irving and Richard Wilkinson who
made the debuts in impressive style this week which promises much for the
future.
Regards
Jammy
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HILLFOOTS
With the Hawick News forecasting an away victory it was with some trepidation that the Ym made the long trip to play Hillfoots on Sat.
Hillfoots now bottom of the league and looking certain to be relegated, also wanted to prove a point as their coach claimed they’d been robbed by a poor ref at the Haugh earlier in the season.
With a force 10 gale in their favour Hill got the game underway.
Straight from the kick-off Ym showed their intentions by keeping the ball in hand and with a series of impressive pick and goes they worked their way deep into the Hill half. Zoomba at this stage was very much to the fore with his impressive ball carrying.
Hill eventually cleared the danger and it was they who drew first blood when a penalty was converted from the halfway line to open the scoring.
Straight from the restart Ym were fortunate not to go further behind when Hill were awarded a penalty in their own half, the ref gave Hill a further 10m for some Ym yipping which brought the kick within range, fortunately for the Ym the kick fell short off the target. When are we going to learn to stop questioning the ref’s decisions as he is not going to change his mind.
For the next 10 min play took place in midfield with the Ym looking the better side and the more likely to trouble the scoreboard.
After 20min the Ym were rewarded after a brilliant move that involved both backs and forwards ended when Scott broke a couple of defensive tackles and went in at the posts for as good a team try as you’ll see. Gregor converted.
Ym continued to keep the ball tight against the strong wind and it must be said that their handling was very impressive with Zomba,Billy and Ross very much to the fore with aggressive driving at the heart of the Hill defence.
Young Kieran was again proving he’s one for the future, certainly it can’t be said he’s a chip off the old block as this Willison has a good rugby brain, always alert to an opportunity, a good pair of hands, mobile around the park and is even a good looking lad. This is not like the previous Willisons who played for the Trades, their first thoughts on receiving the ball was to go to ground as quickly as possible and wallow around in the mud like demented hippos. Kieran’s genes obviously come from his mother’s side of the family.
Dean was proving a handful at standoff making some telling half breaks that kept the whole team moving forward.
After 35min from a penalty midway between the Hill 22 and halfway-Zoomba went on a great run before setting up a ruck in the Hill 22—quick ball was then fed to the backs and young Glyn was unlucky when he was bundled into touch just a few mte short of the try line.
YM’s injury woes continued when Dougal had to leave the field with a head injury(no jokes please) after what looked like a wee bit of a high tackle. Hill were awarded a penalty for I thinking no releasing and as it was in front of the posts Hill reduced the leeway to 7-6. This completed the scoring for the first period and the YM were by far the happier team reaching the break in front and with the benefit of the favourable elements in the second half.
Dean got the second half underway with a lovely drop-out into the Hill 22, a good chase from the forwards forced Hill in to a hurried clearance which was sliced and then knocked on giving Ym An attacking scrum on the 22. Unfortunately YM lost possession allowing Hill to clear the early danger. For the next 5/6 min Ym enjoyed the bulk of possession but little mistakes at the vital moment prevented them from going further ahead. Dean was now keeping Hills pinned back in their 22 with some pin point touch finding.
On the 10min mark Ym put another attack together and from a ruck on the 22 quick ball was won and fed along the line to Glyn who beat his man on the outside and went over for the second try of the day. Gregor converted.
The fastest bagman in the leagues came on as a sub at this point.
In the 20th min Dean was sent yet again to the bin for a wee bit backchat.
The next try came soon after when Hills didn’t find touch from a penalty, Lee put up a huge up and under, Hills failed to clear and Ym won back possession and with excellent hand between backs and forwards the ball finally found it’s way to Billy who was loitering out in the backs and with great strength he broke a few tackles before touching down for the third try. Gregor converted.
Kieran was unlucky not to get his first try for the club when he took a short throw at the lineout and with only 5m to go a certain try was on but he was pulled back for the throw not going the full 5m.
On the 35th min Dean cleared from his own 22 to the Hills 22. Ym stole the lineout and a ruck was formed, again quick ball was won and Josh fed Dean who from the 22 line went on a run leaving several Hills players in his wake before touching down for the bonus point try. Gregor converted.
With time running out it was Glyn who nearly added to his earlier try when Lee chipped through but the dead ball line just beat him to the touchdown.
Considering the number of injuries this was a good win for the YM.
For the backs Glyn and Skippy were the pick.
For the forwards Keith and Zoomba worked hard.
MOM this week goes to Scott who scored a try and was at the heart of all the dangerous Ym attacks.
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COACHES COMMENTS
My first visit to Hillfoots will stay in the memory for many
reasons(mostly bad)although the host club were very sociable and
hospitable.
A poor game which was dominated by an out of touch referee,played in a
howling gale which made it even more uncomfortable to watch.
That aside the outcome was both welcome and deserved as we at least tried
to play some rugby in the difficult conditions.A rare bonus point win
which reduces our deficit with Linlithgow to 5 points with 3 games left
for both.Kilmarnock sadly couldnt quite do us a turn as they lost 8-15 to
our rivals.
Back to Hillfoots and i was pleased with our first half ball security
playing into the gale and thought we could have had a bigger half time
lead as we looked very dangerous when we put it wide.
The second stanza saw some nice play in the build up to our tries and only
some individuals lack of discipline had me rattled as we perhaps made it
harder for ourselves than we needed to.
Mathematically its still possible so the fight goes on and next weeks
visit of Greenock Wanderers will be a difficult challenge once more.We
were very fortunate in our previous encounter and no doubt that will
motivate them.
Finally a big thanks to Lee and Steven from Linden for their help.
Regards
Jammy
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WHITECRAIGS
Ym made the long journey to Whitecraigs on Sat in what was a must win match if promotion was to remain a realistic goal.
In atrocious conditions White got the game underway and immediately had the Ym pinned back in their own 22. From the first lineout on the Ym 22 Kieran Willison who was making his debut for the club won possession and fed Josh who in turn fed Stooge who tried to chip over the white defence but White read the move and collected the chip and it was their big centre who went on a run and was stopped just short of the line. From the ensuing ruck White on 4/5 occasions picked up and tried to drive over but great defence held them out. Eventually the pressure told and Ym gave away the first of what seemed like a hundred penalties to White over the game. White turned down the 3 points and went for a scrum 5 in centre field, Winning possession the No8 picked up at the base and went blind feeding the scrumhalf who in turn fed the winger who went over for an unconverted try after only 5min play.
From the restart Ym began to come more into the game and just on the 15min mark Dean intercepted a
Ym continued to hold their own but disaster struck in the 18th min when an attempted kick into the corner from the halfway line was sliced and went behind the Ym backs, this allowed the White backs to gain possession out near the touchline, the winger then put in a nice kick down the line and the centre (who was a good yard in front of the kicker) won the race for the touchdown. The try was converted.
For the rest of the half play was not pretty to watch with the Ym in particular unable to come to terms with the conditions.
Ym got the second have underway and winning a penalty almost immediately Dean with an inch perfect kick took the Ym deep into the White 22. Ym won the lineout and for the first time in the game had White on the rack, unfortunately the ball was lost in a tackle and White cleared the danger. Soon after the ym won their 3 pen of the day and from the 10m line Gregor reduced the leeway to 12-6. It was Gregor again who from the same spot brought the Ym to within 3 points with another successful kick at goal. Sounds like the Ym were getting a fair share of the penalties, don’t you believe it this was only about their fourth and probably was their last. Play was not good with the Ym losing their discipline and conceding far too many penalties. In the 20th min when a touchline kick went out on the full play was taken back to near the Ym 22. White won possession and took the ball forward with a series of pick and goes before releasing the ball to the halfbacks, the standoff put in a lovely grubber kick under the Ym posts and with nobody at home they again won the race for the touchdown. The try was converted.
In the 22 min from near the halfway line Gregor with a magnificent attempt at goal saw his kick just dip under the bar.
The last score in the game came when Dean was caught in possession on his own 22, the ref gave a penalty, I think for not releasing. As it was in front of the posts it was an easy 3 points.
With 10 min to go Rummel was red carded for foul play.
Disappointing result on the day, we thought on the touchline that when we got back to 12-9 that we were in with a shout.
Some wayward kicking cost us dear and maybe all our backs should practice this element of the game a bit more.
Whitecraigs on the day proved they were the class team in our league and they will prve a handful for teams in Div 1
For the backs Josh did all he could.
In the forwards Kieran showed up well and is one for the future.
But MOM this week goes to workaholic Zoomba.
Our fastest man on the field by far was our bagman, I’m told this was because his wallet was so light after the poker night he hosted at his house on Fri night. Statler is still going about with a huge smile on his face.
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COACHES COMMENTS
Terrible conditions made for a poor spectacle at Tabletoppers Whitecraigs
but regardless of spectacle it was the outcome that was all important as
both clubs looked to push for the vital points in the quest for
promotion.
Our hosts ran out worthy winners in the end as our discipline went to
pieces just as we were gaining momentum at 9-12 early in the second
stanza.The players know it and believe me it hurt everyone in that
dressing room afterwards.
Its so easy to blame the whistler but it is our own actions on the field
that we CAN control and it was that part where we came up short.
That aside i think Whitecraigs are the best side in this league and they
deserve every bit of credit coming their way.Unfortunately sometimes the
best team wins and that was certainly the case this week.Three tries
scored tell the story and the third was i thought a thing of great beauty
which effectively ended the contest.
For our part we competed well and gave everything to the cause but
desertion of discipline is a killer against a quality side.
Promotion looks a forlorn hope now but while it is mathematically
possible my players will give every last bit of themselves as its the
only way they know and that is a credit to them.
We must take it on the chin and move on which begins with the tricky trip
to Hillfoots next week to meet a side who are fighting the drop and
indeed believe they were unlucky at our place earlier in the season.
A big thanks to our travelling support whom the players feel they have
let down and Congratulations to Whitecraigs who rose to the challenge in
both our fixtures this season and deserved the spoils in both.
Finally good luck to my small rotund friend with whatever comes next.
Regards
Jammy
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