Disappointing Day for Perthshire on the Inch

Perthshire 15-17 Whitecraigs

Eagles struggle to make most of opportunities.

It was a bright and blustery day for the eagerly anticipated clash between Perthshire and Whitecraigs on the North Inch, although a rain shower before kick-off led to a slippery ball for the players to contend with. Both teams entered the fixture with one win apiece from their opening 3 matches and a tight game was anticipated. Perthshire were dealt an early blow however when captain Mat Rae pulled up in the warm up and could take no part in the game. The experienced Jonny Armitt came in at fullback with Mikey Evans moving onto the wing and John Kelly filling the vacant spot on the bench to later make his 1XV debut.

The coaches had stressed the need for a fast start pre-game and the desire was evident straight from the kick-off with Jack McIntosh and Matt Jenns putting real pressure of the Whitecraigs catcher forcing a knock on. Most of the opening 10 minutes was spent in the Whitecraigs half, however Perthshire were unable to turn pressure into points and dropped balls, penalties and a misfiring lineout repeatedly provided Whitecraigs opportunities to clear. From one such penalty Whitecraigs kicked to the left-hand touchline just outside the Perthshire 22. After a good lineout Whitecraigs kept it tight and went through a couple of phases until their Scrumhalf – scarcely believing his luck – capitalised on a totally undefended blindside to jog it in for the first points of the game. The missed conversion left the score as Perthshire 0-5 Whitecraigs.

The two teams were largely cancelling each other out and each yard made was hard won. However around 30 minutes in Perthshire were able to piggyback penalties deep into Whitecraigs territory. The forwards made a series of pick and goes but Whitecraigs repeatedly put their bodies on the line to keep out the men in Black and White. With a penalty advantage coming many of the crowd were looking for the ball to be moved wide, but Ewen MacDonald was not to be stopped and he powered over the line for the try. Aidan Watson slotted the conversion from out to the right-hand side and put his team in front. Perthshire 7-5 Whitecraigs.

Both defences stayed strong for the remainder of the first half with few real scoring opportunities allowed. After an audacious 50m penalty attempt from Aidan Watson drifted wide and short, Whitecraigs were happy to kick the ball out and end the half.

Half time score, Perthshire 7-5 Whitecraigs.

The coaches’ message at half time advocated that the game was very much there to be won – it was Whitecraigs however who struck first in the second half. A try out to the right of the posts was converted to take the visitors back into the lead, Perthshire 7-12 Whitecraigs.

In a similar pattern to the first half, Perthshire were struggling to find their verve. Whitecraigs stoutly defended Perthshire’s attacks in open play and too often a spluttering lineout left the home side unable to capitalise on good field position. Whitecraigs too were struggling to threaten the try line. Although they broke the Perthshire line on a couple of occasions, brave defence from Mikey Evans & Gavin Hegarty stopped the attacks before Whitecraigs could capitalise.

The game had been littered with penalties and mid-way through the half, the referee’s patience ran out. Whitecraigs loose head prop was sent for 10mins in the sin bin and Perthshire looked for a way to exploit the extra man. After a sustained period of pressure in the Whitecraigs half, a clearance kick found its way into the arms of Aidan Watson. He stepped the first man and took off down the line leaving defenders in his wake. Despite being hauled down 5 meters short of the line, the forwards took over and captain for the day James Mair burst through the defence to level the scores. Aidan Watson was unable to convert and the scores were tied up, Perthshire 12-12 Whitecraigs.

Further yellow cards were dished out for high tackles, one for each side, as the two teams battled to get the win. With 14 minutes left Perthshire were afforded the opportunity to edge themselves ahead when the referee awarded a penalty 30m out in the centre of the pitch. Aidan Watson stepped up and split the uprights despite the blustery conditions. Perthshire 15-12 Whitecraigs.
The home supporters hoped those points would prove to be the difference between the sides, however Whitecraigs struck back with around 5 minutes to go. An initial break got up to the Perthshire 22, and after a couple of phases the ball was passed out to the left to exploit a stretched Perthshire defence who were unable to stop the Whitecraigs man reaching the line. The conversion was missed leaving 2 points between the sides. Perthshire 15-17 Whitecraigs.

Perthshire were now forced to open up to try and find the points they required. The final play saw Perthshire running from their own 22. They made good yards and stretched Whitecraigs defence allowing Ewen MacDonald to pick and go through the middle and into open space. The crowd were roaring him forward and he made 20 metres and into Whitecraigs territory until a desperate tap tackle brought him to ground and forced the ball to come loose. The referee sounded his whistle and a disappointing afternoon ended.

Full Time. Perthshire 15-17 Whitecraigs.

Congratulations to Whitecraigs who battled for 80 minutes to take home the points. However, for Perthshire this will undoubtedly be viewed as one that got away. Attention now turns to next week when Perthshire will be in Aberdeen to face table topping Gordonians.

Bashes, Bumps, Breaks and Beaton

Perthshire 2XV 17 – 44 Grangemouth 2XV

2XV start brightly but hampered by freak injuries.

The first home match of the 2s season kicked off full of optimism. Coach Dave Lewis was fizzing with excitement at being able to name a full team and bench across all the positions. Even more satisfying was the knowledge this was achieved with 15 players unavailable for various reasons. There is a strength & depth to the Senior squad now.

The rain came just as ‘Shire received the kick-off. It made it slippery; knock-ons and forward passes disrupted both teams’ initial plays. Grangemouth had the first real attack as Perthshire surrendered space by going high in tackles and allowing Grangemouth easy yards.

Perthshire rallied and won a turnover. Taking the initiative Rab Pittendreigh ran from his own half then kicked down field. A foot race ensued with the Grangemouth fullback getting to it ahead of Pittendreigh but forced inside he was tackled by the onrushing ‘Shire back row. The ball was offloaded but this runner had no support and Perthshire smothered him and quickly won possession with a counter ruck. Ewan MacKessack-Leitch picked from the base and found a gap into open space, sprinting the 10m or so to score, Rab Pittendreigh adding the extras for a 7-0 lead.

At the restart Perthshire failed to effectively clear their lines and were immediately under pressure. Quick ball and soft tackles allowed Grangemouth to make deep inroads over a few phases. Perthshire held on and were starting to push back when a head knock forced Ewan MacKessack-Leitch off the pitch with suspected concussion. Minutes later scrumhalf Andrew Sanderson also left the field injured.

Losing these players in quick succession disrupted the team and Grangemouth surged over for their first try. Not long after they were over for their second, taking the lead 7-10, taking advantage of a disjointed Perthshire.

As the team settled things started to go better. Bruce Campbell was quick around the pitch causing havoc in attack while Angus Macpherson and Gavin Orr were effectively leading the defensive efforts in the backline. A quick penalty and Perthshire burst into the Grangemouth half. This flowing move saw the ball out to Liam Mowat on the wing who sprinted towards the line. Just caught and brought down Perthshire were not quite organised and Grangemouth pounced, picking up a loose ball they sprinted up the pitch to cross the line. Worse followed as Liam Mowat had stayed down following the tackle, a broken ankle and he was off to hospital. All hoping he makes a quick recovery.

With the bench nearly emptied within the first half Perthshire started to struggle with players covering out of position and there was time for Grangemouth to score their 4th try to make it 7-22 at the break. Coach Dave Lewis asked his players to calm down and revert to doing the simple jobs well and the fightback would follow.

The next 15 minutes were very even. Perthshire settled and went back to their structure. Dave Hutchison & Gavin Orr in the centre made strong inroads, ably supported by Ryan Beaton & Bruce Campbell who seemed to cover every blade of grass on the pitch. Jack High was proving a force to be reckoned with, bursting onto the ball at pace and threatening the Grangemouth line on a few occasions.

As Grangemouth scored again somewhat against the run of play, Perthshire pulled an ace from their sleeve. Liam Flavell took a nasty knock to his shoulder and Ben Cameron, who was supposedly down to spectate, was given a pair of boots, shorts and a strip to join the field. There was an immediate impact, with added urgency to the attack. Taking a quick penalty on the 22, Ben Cameron chipped over the defence and beat everyone else to scoop up the ball and dive over the line for an unconverted try.

Minutes later another gap opened up for Ben Cameron who needed no second invitation and dashed & danced his way around defenders to score under the posts. Missing the conversion this put Perthshire right back into the game 17-27.

Injuries hurt Perthshire again, Captain Angus Macpherson and Bruce Campbell both left the field and they were soon joined by Kieran Maclean, all with knocks they couldn’t shake off. While diving to pick up a dropped ball, James Marley’s fingers were broken by the boot of an attempted kick forcing a visit to A&E to assess the extent of the fracture. The bench was emptied now, Mark Morgan coming on to make his debut in Black & White, and Liam Flavell was forced to return in spite of injury.

Grangemouth spurred into action and took full advantage of the unfamiliar rejigged Perthshire. A further 3 tries would follow before full time as Perthshire were undone by the injuries and inevitable disrupted defence & attack. That’s not to say there were defeated, heads stayed up and no-one gave in, particularly: Man-of-the-Match Ryan Beaton, Mika Gratzke and Jack High; who pushed and encouraged their teammates onwards and led by example.

Full time came and there was pride in the performance and positive attitude, mixed with a rueful feeling that without the early & numerous injuries this was an opportunity missed. Coaches Dave Lewis & Campbell Watson know there’s plenty to build on for next week’s away fixture to Howe of Fife 2XV, a local derby that has been missing in recent years. With time for recovery, work at training and some consistency; this 2XV has the players, skill and potential to make real impact on the restructured Caledonia Midlands League 3.

Photos from Grangemouth Stags Facebook page.