Up and Running Riot!

Dundee 2XV 7 – 62 Perthshire

A Positive Start to the League for Perthshire.

Perthshire 1XV kicked off their Arnold Clark Caledonia Region League Division 1 campaign with a convincing 62-7 victory away against Dundee 2XV. Despite the lopsided scoreline, Dundee 2XV showed flashes of great play, but they were ultimately overwhelmed by a dominant Perthshire side.

Perthshire took control early, with Calum Bruce calmly slotting a penalty to put the visitors ahead 3-0. Aidan Watson, who would later be named Man of the Match, powered over for the opening try following a well-timed assist from Ollie Martins Da Silva, who was making his senior league debut. Calum Bruce added the conversion to extend the lead to 10-0.

Ollie Martins Da Silva continued to orchestrate the attack, setting up Aedan Milne for a try. Another accurate conversion from Calum Bruce pushed the score to 17-0. Aedan Milne soon added his second try, this time assisted by Rory Bayne, with Calum Bruce maintaining his perfect record from the tee, taking it to 24-0.

Dundee had a few moments of great play, attempting to disrupt Perthshire’s rhythm with strong defensive efforts and brief attacking forays. However, just before halftime, Ollie Martins Da Silva executed a brilliantly read interception, racing clear to score a try, and with Calum B’s perfect conversion streak continuing, Perthshire surged ahead to 31-0. Dundee struggled to break down Perthshire’s defence and failed to score any points in the first half.

Perthshire maintained their momentum into the second half. Rhys Darlington opened the scoring with a try that was converted by Calum Bruce to make it 38-0. Shortly after, Shaun Barton made a brilliant break, offloading to Aedan Milne, who completed his hat-trick. Another successful conversion from Calum Bruce extended the lead to 45-0.

Rory Bayne added another try, though Calum Bruce missed the conversion, bringing the score to 50-0. Simon McGarry then scored after receiving a well-timed pass from Ollie Martins Da Silva, and Calum Bruce added two more points to make it 57-0.

Dundee, to their credit, kept fighting and were rewarded with a well-deserved try after a period of sustained pressure. They converted successfully, bringing their tally to 7 points.

However, Perthshire continued to dominate the final stages, with their last try coming from Ollie Martins Da Silva, who finished off a slick passing sequence involving Lewis Murrie, Calum Bruce, AJ Guthrie, and Shaun Barton. Although the conversion was missed, the final scoreline was a commanding 62-7.

Despite the scoreline, Dundee 2XV had several moments of impressive play, particularly in defence and during their late attacking surge. However, Perthshire 1XV’s cohesive team performance, marked by strong attacking moves and defensive performance, was too much to handle.

Man of the Match: Aidan Watson – not just for his early try but for the way he controlled the game showing his leadership skills and experience to manage frustrations, guiding his team mates and demonstrating a different side to his game.

Notable Performance: Ollie Martins Da Silva had an outstanding senior league debut, contributing two tries and several assists, proving himself a key player in Perthshire’s commanding win.

Photographs taken by Peter Wilkinson.

Determined but Defeated

Kirkcaldy 2XV 69 – 0 Perthshire Eagles

It was a challenging afternoon for the Perthshire Eagles as they went down 69-0 to the newly reformed Kirkcaldy 2XV in a trip to Beveridge Park. The hosts were clearly out to make a statement as contenders for the league title but despite the one-sided scoreline, there were positives for the Eagles to take away from this encounter, particularly in terms of endurance and discipline against a team with superior numbers.

Kirkcaldy rushed to 2 quick scores before Perthshire, inspired by Jonny Venter, went on the attack. Working well with Lewis Gray at scrumhalf they found spaces and made yards. The support was not there to capitalise as Kirkcaldy were fast and accurate at every breakdown. A counterattack saw the Fife men fly back down the pitch to score their 3rd try.

Undeterred Perthshire went back again and this time solid carries from Gus MacFarlane & James Marley told as ‘Shire patiently worked up the pitch. Another attack by Jonny Venter sliced open the field his offload making it to Thomas Pounder who was caught and stopped inches from the line. Kirkcaldy turned over and cleared the line but were soon back under the cosh as from 70m out Perthshire worked the ball to the right and Thomas Pounder rounded the last winger and was off. Chased by 5 men he chipped and was taken out before he could regather. Jonny Venter scooped up the loose ball and sprinted to 5m out before offloading to Sam Hutchison, who couldn’t quite stretch across the whitewash. The forwards carried but couldn’t cross either. Despite Kirkcaldy seeing a yellow card for repeated infringements the Eagles were unable to capitalise and were punished as the home team engineered a counterattack before another 2 tries ended the half 31-0.

In the second half Captain Hector Inglis led by example never giving up and inspiring his team to keep working for every ball and tackle. This showed as centres Pete Cowen & Dave Hutchison used the space created skillfully by flyhalf Jonny Venter to get in behind and cause chaos in Kirkcaldy’s’ defence. When defending debutant Cameron Fisher and Calum Duncan repeatedly put their bodies on the line, while Jamie Yellowley was a nuisance at the breakdown frustrating Kirkcaldy’s quick ball.

The home team had a full bench and this told as their score grew. The Eagles managed to see out the full 80 minutes without any injuries or players leaving the pitch, showcasing resilience under pressure; exemplified by Sam Hutchison who chased back numerous runners stopping more scores. The ‘Shire discipline was notable, with only a few minor incidents in the closing stages of the game, while Kirkcaldy 2XV struggled to maintain their composure, accruing a significant number of penalties throughout the match.

From a team performance perspective, the Eagles’ scrum, anchored by Stevie Wilkie & Cameron Craig, stood out as a solid area, holding its own against a tough opposition pack. Endurance will be a key focus for future training sessions.

While the result was not what the Eagles were hoping for, they showed moments of grit and determination that will serve them well in the season to come. In the end the scoreline did not reflect the effort from the Eagles who were unlucky to not add their own points. Gus MacFarlane shone bright in a tough game and was deservedly named Player of the Match for his all-around performance, demonstrating skill and determination in every phase of play.

Onward to the next challenge, another trip to Fife, as the Eagles take on Dunfermline 2XV, a 3pm kick-off at McKane Park.