Continued...

There then followed a lengthy break while an injured Duns player awaited the arrival of an ambulance with what looked like a serious neck injury, and the game restarted at 4.08. Kiwi stand off Mike Purser scored his debut try for the club after a quick penalty tap by flanker Kenny Christie, and McLaren converted again to make the half-time score 31-0 in favour of the Blacks.

The second half got under way at 4.30, and after a missed penalty attempt by McLaren 7 minutes from the restart, Mike Purser bagged his second, with McLaren converting to make the score 38-0. The Blacks were showing no mercy, and any Duns attempts to counter attack were met with ferocious tackling, resulting in frequent delays for medical attention for the visitors.

Veteran prop George Strachan belied his 45 years with an unstoppable burst for the line from 15 metres out and with several Duns players hanging on, giving McLaren another easy conversion, and dynamic scrum half Gary Wood popped up in the threequarters after a devastating break by Fletcher to add another score 5 minutes later, again converted by McLaren's educated right boot.

The final 15 minutes, with Duns now down to 14 players having used all their substitutes, allowed the home side to hammer the remaining nails into the coffin. Last year's player of the year, Colin Bell, rounded off a fluent threequarter move to touch down in the right hand corner, and the hugely improving Colin Strachan (son of George) followed his hat-trick against Glenrothes with a rapid brace in the last 10 minutes of the game.

Full-back McLaren finished with 24 points from 2 tries and 7 conversions.

Harder games are to come, but this display will give the Strathmore players the belief that there are no insurmountable obstacles in this league.

Next Saturday sees the men in black travelling to Lenzie for another first encounter. Anyone wanting a place on the bus should contact Jason Leslie or Dave Innes.

Lenzie 36  - 7 Strathmore

A frustrating day for the men in Black, the bus was held up in road works for 2 hours meaning they did not arrive till after 3:15.  The referee allowed them less than 30 minutes to change and warm up.

Within a minute of kick off they were down by 7 points and for the first half the frustrations continued to mount seeing them down 20 - 0.

The second half showed a good improvement with Graeme Crozier playing possibly hais last game for the 1st's in fine agressive form - he will be sorely missed.  Giant second row forward Keith Robertson came on and looked impresive showing signs that he is getting fitter and ready for regular first team action.

The Blacks only scor in the game came from a penalty try after consistent infringements.  The team played well and there were a lot of positives for coach David Wren to work on in training.

Strathmore 3  - 37 Whitecraigs

Another tough day at the office for the Blacks.  Inchmacoble has been the setting for many fine performances against superior opposition but unfortunately not this time.  The team, as coach David Wren points out, is completely new with most of the tried and trusted hands now retired or injured and this week a few on holiday.  It will take time for the team to gel as a unit but they are getting there and each game is an improvement ofn the previous one.  Full report to follow.....

Helensburgh 15 - 14 Strathmore

The 'Blacks' had a tough game and were well matched against an opposing team who are under a lot of pressure to maintain there 'National League' place, this was, according to the club hierarchy,  a "must win" for them as they have a really tough 4 weeks to come, they did win by the skin of their teeth due to the 'Blacks' mouthing off and holding on in the ruck.

It was a very close match which Strathie should have won as they had most of the possession during the first half in which they played against the wind.  The second half was not greatly different with the 'Blacks' maintaining the pressure throughout.  'Burgh's' defence was very strong and they did a very good job throughout the game

Strathie's first try was ingenious by Gary Black, diving through from a penalty on the 5m line to score unopposed.  The second with 79 minutes on the clock saw Colin Bell run through a maze of players to score what should have been the match winner, a try, which was converted by Wood to put the 'Blacks' 2 points clear and the game over.  Two minutes were added and the game was given away not far from the posts with an easy penalty, scored for the 5th out of 7 for the 'Burgh' kicker.

Plenty positives and some great individual performances in this new team, Colin Bell's try and David Atchisons energy stood out. 

This weekend will see a huge ask for the team as they entertain Hawick YM, possibly the toughest home fixture of the year.  Be sure to come down and give the team a huge vocal support, it is a long away for the visitors.

Strathmore 14 -  17 Hawick YM

This was another serious nail biter as Strathmore faced 3rd placed Hawick YM at Inchmacoble. The tone was set in the first five minutes as penalties were conceded in front of the posts at both ends, Jamie McLaren converting for the Blacks and the Hawick stand-off doing the same after a home indiscretion.

The visitors looked the sharper side, with their dreadlocked number 2 looking particularly dangerous, and they took the lead with a blind side try that caught the home defence asleep, the stand-off converting to make the score 3-10. Young centre Colin Strachan forced his way over close to half-time, but McLaren narrowly missed the conversion leaving the visitors 10-8 up.

With veteran centre Fletcher in the wars, going off first with a knee injury, and later with a damaged shoulder, the home side seemed to have lost their cutting edge, but after a further Hawick converted try, they suddenly seemed to sense that the game was there for the taking. Bowman and Fletcher (by now coming on and off the field) both made inroads into the visitors' territory, and McLaren, having an excellent game, forced his way over in the corner. However he just failed with the conversion attempt, leaving the score at 13-17 with just 15 minutes to go.

The last quarter was all Strathmore attack and Hawick defence, and young winger James Kiely was convinced he had touched down after an elusive run and clever kick ahead, but the referee was unimpressed. The match video later showed that the ref was probably wrong!

A loss bonus point was poor compensation from a game that should have been won, but the side remain buoyant in their attempts to remain in the National Leagues and consolidate for next season.

Lasswade 16 - 3 Strathmore

The condition's were less than perfect for Strathie with a strong wind whirling through the modern Lasswade grounds. Captain Gary Wood lost the toss and Strathmore began the first half with the wind at their backs.

In a half where the wind often took kicks and line out throws in weird and wonderful directions Strathmore did well against a tough and determined Lasswade defence to be 3 points up from a Jamie McLaren penalty.

In the second half the wind got stronger and Lasswade used this to their advantage perfectly by pinning back a Strathmore defence, which was as equally determined as Lasswade's had been in the first half. For 20 minutes Strathmore defended with their backs to the line but then a lost line out caught the black forwards by surprise and an opposition shirt crossed the line.

Strathmore made some advances into the Lasswade half in the last quarter with strong runs and mauls making yards. But the strong boot of the Lasswade fly half, helped by the ever present wind, punished the blacks. In the end a few penalties increased the Lasswade lead and made the gulf look greater than it was.

After the game Captain Gary Wood said he was pleased with the performance and said Strathie were improving every week and they were simply beaten by a home team well used to these conditions.

Strathmore 15 - 6 Lismore

Strathie secured 4 league points with a 15-6 home win against Lismore. The visitors took an early lead in the first half with 2 penalties from their number 10. However, flanker Colin Bell produced a superb run to claw back 5 points, Wood narrowly missing the conversion.

Strathie started to pile on the pressure in the second half, and Wood slotted a penalty to take a narrow 8-5 lead. A heel against the head then found Fletcher in space, and he ran half the length of the pitch to touch down under the posts, giving Wood an easy conversion.

Madras College 15 - 15 Strathmore

 Strathmore made the relatively short trip through to St Andrews on Saturday and though they came back with a draw it felt very much like a defeat in a match that should have been won easily.  The blacks pack had such dominance over their opponents that had it been a boxing contest there would have been towels flying in from all angles.

The fact that Madras emerged unbeaten from the eighty minutes says a lot about their resolve and also their backline, which threatened to cut loose with the sparse possession they obtained.  The home right wing particularly impressed with dancing feet and an ability to beat opponents
rather than take contact.

This elusiveness was not present in the blacks ranks, James Kiely aside, as contact was taken too easily and the players did not fight to stay on their feet.  Where Strathmore dominated was at the set piece where their line out went well and the set scrum which forced a number of turnovers.

The physical nature of Strathie's maul should have brought more tangible rewards but it was not utilised as it should have been.  One powerful drive nudged fully forty metres before being dragged down in the shadow of the Madras posts for a penalty, when in truth the official had to at least sin bin one of the home players for a professional foul.

Pack leader Dave Atchison and fellow flanker Colin Bell were both having fine performances in the loose but were hampered by a referee that refused to penalise Madras for never rolling away from the ball.

That should have been the signal for the blacks to stick the ball up the jumper and bludgeon their opposite numbers out of the game, especially when they were ten points ahead with less than fifteen minutes to go.

Strathie opened the match with great vigour and within twenty minutes found themselves twelve points ahead thanks to a couple of cracking tries from Colin Bell and Stuart Gray with a conversion from stand in captain Gary Wood.  The confidence was beginning to flow from the side and there seemed to be only one outcome from the eighty minutes.

Madras then scored a fine individual try when their inside centre meandered through some mediocre defence for a score that seemed to knock the stuffing out of the blacks players.  It was the ease with which they scored rather than the score itself that hurt.  Strathmore had to work harder for their openings, though parts of their continuity play were at times a joy to watch.

Ten minutes into the second half and super sub Michael Bruce extended Strathie's lead to ten after the aforementioned forward rumble left the blacks sitting in pole position for the win. The defence had shored up and with Kenny Christie and Graeme Nicoll punching holes in the home ranks Strathie's first away win seemed likely.

Madras had other ideas as they scored a penalty to come within seven and then their backs scored from seventy yards out to leave Strathie holding on for the draw.  The referee blew for full time as Madras pressed for an unlikely win.

Obviously there was a disappointing feel in the changing room after the game but the positive displays from so many players is heartening, with just a fraction more tactical nous this side will turn close games into wins and dominance into routs.

Strathmore : J McLaren, J Kiely, A Bowman, I Fletcher, C Strachan, M Purser, G Wood, D LIndsay, B Morrice, G Strachan, S Gray, K Mollison, D Atchison, C Bell, G Nicoll.

Subs : K Christie, M Bruce, G Dickson.

 

Glenrothes 11 - 27 Strathmore

Strathmore moved up the table with a bonus point win in Fife on Saturday that confirmed the fact that this side is beginning to find its feet at this level.  Teams in this league have a lot more tactical nous than the blacks and can grind out close wins when the match is in the balance.  This is mainly down to experience and the fact that other teams have played with their combinations in place at the start of the season.  That advantage is being eroded as this formative side plays more games and the collectiveness and camaraderie grows within the squad.

It was no surprise that Strathie looked slicker in the centres as veterans Fletcher and Crozier attacked with pace and defended with typical belligerence.  Time and again they sliced through the home ranks but a lack of composure allied with a deficiency in awareness left the try line unscathed on too many occasions.

In the forward pack Strathie recovered from losing Kiwi David Atchison to injury, eventually coming out on top in their arm wrestle with the Glenrothes eight.  Open side flanker Colin Bell seemed to appear everywhere in this battle, winning loose ball on the ground and linking play between forwards and backs whenever the opportunity arose.  Bell's was a performance of true quality and it was noticeable that his workrate went through the roof when Atchison retired hurt.

Glenrothes for their part played well at the set piece with their large front row causing problems for the visitors.  The homesters also dominated the lineout until the last half hour when Strathie changed their set up and started to win prime ball, with Graeme Nicoll winning the lions share of their quality possession.

Impact from the bench is becoming de riguer in rugby parlance and Strathie's substitutes certainly made a difference when they came on.  Second row Stuart Gray was a symphony of perpetual motion when he entered the fray, showing energy levels that the energizer bunny would have been proud of.

Prop Grant Dickson used all his communication skills to great effect, bringing a voice to the defensive patterns as the penalty count which was too high in the first half evaporated to one or two in the second.

Glenrothes played with the conditions in their favour in the first forty and opened an 11-5 lead with a Crozier try the solitary blacks effort after excellent work from Keith Robertson created the chance.

Using the favourable wind and slope, Strathie began to run through their opponents and a try from winger James Kiely put the blacks in front for the first time.  A number of other chances were squandered before a sublime pass from Bell released Crozier for his first brace this millennium.

Skipper Gary Wood landed both conversions from the touchline and added a penalty to stretch Strathie's lead to eleven points but the bonus point still eluded the visitors.  That situation changed moments later.

The Strathie forwards kept it tight before Gray burst through two tackles and sprinted through the gap.  Gray then drew the last defender and gave a delicious pass to the omnipresent Bell who romped in for his third try in successive games to end the scoring.

Strathmore did not play particularly well but elements of their play have improved since the start of the season.  The acid test comes on Saturday against a side that beat Strathie on the third weekend of this league campaign. 

Strathmore: J McLaren, J Kilely, G Crozier, I Fletcher, C Strachan, M Purser, G Wood C Sim, B Morrice, D Lindsay, G Nicoll, K Robertson, D Atchison, C Bell, K Christie. Reps: G Dickson, S Gray, G Black.

Duns 17 - 22 Strathmore

Match Report to Follow

Strathmore 0 - 22 Lenzie
Match Report to Follow

Whitecraigs 36 - 7 Strathmore
Match Report to Follow

Strathmore 8 - Helensburgh 21

Continued...

 

The game started brightly enough with skipper Gary Wood knocking over a penalty after just ten minutes. However, our tendency to concede penalties in kickable positions resulted in three scores in the space of just ten minutes, giving Helensburgh a 9-3 advantage, which they consolidated just two minutes later with a converted try. Half-time score: 3-16.

Strathie started to dominate possession in the second half, but seemed to be lacking the key to unlock an impressive Helensburgh defence until David Hull touched down for a well-earned try on the stroke of 3.00. Wood missed the conversion - 8-16. The visitors countered almost immediately with their second try (unconverted), leaving the home side with everything to do at 8-21.

Although the Blacks piled on the pressure for the remaining 25 minutes, there was no way through the visitors' well organised defence, and vital passes went astray too often.

 

With the foot of the table looking like this, it is fairly safe to say that Duns and Glenrothes will be going down.

 

7	Trinity Academicals	16	6	0	10	299	251	3	4	48	31
8	Madras College FP	17	5	1	11	304	466	5	2	-162	29
9	Strathmore	17	5	1	11	270	306	3	3	-36	28
10	Helensburgh	16	5	1	10	207	365	2	4	-158	28
11	Glenrothes	15	2	1	12	125	537	0	0	-412	10
12	Duns	15	1	0	14	111	540	1	4	-429	9

 

Helensburgh have home fixtures against the bottom two sides, so look fairly safe.  We have a vital home game against Madras on March 22, but even if we win that, the St Andrews side finish the season the following weekend with Glenrothes at home, while we have the much harder prospect of Marr at home.

Basically, unless we manage to get some points from our next three league fixtures (Hawick YM away on the 12th, Lasswade at home on the 19th and Lismore away on the 26th) then things are looking very bleak indeed!

Lismore 3 - 0 Strathmore

Continued.  The second half was almost a carbon copy of the first but this time Strathmore were on top and enjoyed the majority of the possession.  Lismore were under pressure and gave away three penalties but the wind was gusting hard and all were missed.  It was a tense afternoon for both teams but Lismore did enough to hang on and the win should guarantee that they stay up next year and the loosing bonus point could prove invaluable for us at the end of the season.