Perthshire 19 – Greenock 25
Greenock kicked off on a glorious sunny day at the North Inch and were backed by a large crowd of vociferous supporters but it was Perthshire who shone in the opening exchanges as the forwards gained the lion’s share of possession. With a solid scrum and a dominant lineout, the young Eagles team mounted numerous attacks and had Greenock pegged in their own half. However, as we witnessed many times last season the visitors scored in their first real attack as they found gaps in the Shire defence. Former Shire player, A J Guthrie made no mistake with the conversion. The referee issued the first of his numerous yellow cards and Greenock were down to 14 men. Blair Twaddle, Kieran Ramsay and Ewen MacDonald were gelling well in the front row and their efforts were giving Shire’s backs a plentiful supply of the ball. Young Jay Pettie on the wing was causing all sorts of problems with his power and blistering pace and it was no surprise when he equalised after 25 minutes but Callum Bruce just failed with the conversion.
Greenock’s pacy full back Tyley latched on to a fine kick and darted over to put his team back in the lead and once again Guthrie slotted the conversion. Shire were more than equal to the task ahead of them but inexperience was beginning to tell as they inevitable tried to batter their way through the Greenock defence rather than use their fast man out wide. Dan Rae and replacement back row Ross Angus were tackling everything that moved and young James Mair learning his trade in the back row covered all over the park seeking to win the ball while the 2nd row pairing of Andy Jack and newcomer Paul McLean did all the hard graft in the 2nd row. Shire won a penalty which could secure an easy 3 points but in their youthful exuberance kicked to touch to go for the try. The tactic paid off spectacularly when James Mair claimed the lineout followed by a drive before Ross Goodison dived over in the centre and Bruce added the extra 2 points. Only 2 points separated the teams just before the break but Shire gave away a penalty and Guthrie extended the lead to 5 points and right on the whistle Greenock were penalised and given another yellow card but Callum Bruce’s kick struck the post.
Perthshire had a man advantage in the 2nd half but kicked possession backed to Greenock too many times but they also ran hard and straight at times and caused problems for the visitors. The game was very evenly matched and both sides looked as though they could clinch victory but Shire then went down to 14 men as Shaun Barton was requested to have a 10-minute break for his over enthusiasm. Greenock were then back to 15 players but not for long and it was a 14 a side match again as the yellows were flashed.
Dan Rae who moved into centre had a superb break and made 50 metres and he only needed one player up in support for the try but it was too late in arriving and Greenock cleared. Ross Angus showed his frustration at the referee after being penalised and Shire were marched back not once but twice to concede 20 metres and Guthrie kicked the 3 points. The penalties mounted up against Shire as indiscipline kicked in and Greenock’s tails were up sensing a victory. Ross Angus atoned for his outburst with a thumping try saving tackle and Jack McIntosh broke upfield and kicked ahead. Scott Alcorn pounced on the full back before he could clear the ball and Shire won a scrum. The forwards took the ball on and Andy Jack spotted an outrageous gap as he strode through to score under the posts. Trailing by just 1 point and 5 minutes to go the players had every reason to be optimistic but the dream was shattered when the visitors kicked off after the try. Shire were caught sleeping and Greenock collected their own kick and powered their way downfield to score. Perthshire threw everything but the proverbial kitchen sink at them in the dying minutes and could easily have grabbed victory but it was not to be and they had to be contented with a losing bonus point.
This was a young and inexperienced Shire team who could maybe have varied the play a bit more and brought their fast runners into the game but with a number of them just out of the Colts this season there is every reason to be very optimistic about the rest of the season. Excellent displays from young Jay Pettie and the not so young Dan Rae were one of the highlights and 18 year old Aidan Watson has all the attributes of a great player who can fill any position in the backs but Shire need to find where he is best suited.
Another hard game awaits at Ardrossan on Saturday and as their game is based around a dominant front row, Shire’s props will be crucial to securing a victory. Plenty of spaces on the bus for all supporters who wish to travel.