Adam’s teammates provide fitting victory in his memory
Perthshire 30 – 17 Murrayfield Wanderers
Perthshire’s first home match following the tragic death of Adam Pattinson was always going to be a hugely emotional event but nobody was really prepared for the enormity of the occasion. The sight of Perthshire’s 1st and 2nd XV lined up with Murrayfield Wanderers, Bannockburn and the match officials for the minute’s silence brought tears to the eyes of the large number of supporters on the touchline. Adam’s kindness, personality, leadership and the genuine love and respect he showed to everyone he met personified why he was held in such awe by all his friends at Perthshire and beyond. The number 4 jersey which Adam wore with such pride and distinction for more than 15 years was presented to the family by Allan Brown and Ewan MacKessack-Leitch in a very touching ceremony and Murrayfield’s captain Alex Godsmark made a very generous gesture on behalf of our opponents by agreeing to frame the jersey in a presentation case.
There was huge pressure on Perthshire’s players who were hurting just as much as anyone else at the loss of their friend and teammate and they responded to the occasion by making themselves available in numbers unprecedented this season. The atmosphere around the North Inch was highly charged and the large turnout was a testament to the standing and respect everyone there had for Adam.
Straight from the kick off the crowd sensed that this was no ordinary game and within a couple of minutes Mat Rae sped over for the opening try. The pressure applied from Perthshire was relentless and Jonny Armitt slotted a penalty followed by an interception from Jay Pettie on his own line and the flying winger literally ran 90 metres for an excellent solo try and Shire shot into a 13-0 lead. Murrayfield are a strong team though and they gradually battled back into the game but Perthshire’s forwards and backs were tackling like men possessed to disrupt any attacks by the men from Edinburgh. Shire’s in your face defence was disrupting Murrayfield’s play and Jonny Armitt was unlucky not to score when he pounced on a spilt ball and narrowly lost the chase for the touchdown. Shire kept up the pressure and following a scrum, Aidan Watson nipped through the defence, fed James Mair who took it on before feeding Mat Rae and in the end, Watson was stopped inches from the line. An audacious cross kick from Armitt almost brought another Shire score but it was only delayed a few minutes as Dan Bowater, Duncan Clow and Ewen MacDonald blasted through the middle and Bowater finished off with a powerful surge over the line. It was great to see the Eagles whipping the ball along the line at pace and Saunders and Goodison were relishing the quick ball provided by the forwards and distributed swiftly by Watson and Miller. Shire had an 18 -5 lead at half time but the strong breeze was in Murrayfield’s favour in the 2nd half.
This was a very impressive display by Shire and the return of Duncan Clow, Dan Bowater, Ross Angus, Ryan Miller, Ross Goodison & Pete Saunders had a huge impact on the game. Murrayfield were using the wind to keep Shire pinned back in their own half but the offensive defence was very effective at keeping them at bay. A bad mix up between Jay Pettie and Jonny Armitt allowed Pumphrey a clear run in for a try as Wanderers narrowed the gap. However, Jay Pettie marked his very impressive display by somehow evading all tacklers while running up an extremely narrow blind side and using an impressive hand off to dive over for his 2nd try. It was real harum scarum stuff towards the end as both teams opened up and Ross Angus and Kieran Ramsay both made impressive yards before Mat Rae capped a magnificent performance by outpacing everyone on the right wing to give Shire a comfortable cushion but Peter Walker the Murrayfield flanker brought proceedings to an end with Murrayfield’s 3rd and final try.
The skill and determination from Perthshire was a sight to behold and very few teams in the league would have been able to contain this Eagles team. From the power shown by the front five, the incessant tackling and support play in the back row, the high tempo play by the half backs, the speed and defence of the centres and the incisive running of the back three, every single member of the squad played their heart out for their former skipper.
This was an exceptional victory under exceptional circumstances and every player can be proud of their efforts. The 2nd XV showed similar heart in their 26-34 loss to top of the table Bannockburn. A penalty try as well as touchdowns for Ryan Moon, Angus Walker and Adam Dearden earned the 2s a try bonus point.
Perthshire’s coaches are hoping that they can rely on all the players to stay with the team for the run into the end of the season and if everyone is available there is no reason why Shire cannot win all of their remaining games starting with Strathmore on Saturday. The Strathmore match kicks off at 11.30 at the North Inch and it is hoped there will be a double header with both 1st and 2nd XV’s playing.
